What About Me?
by phantomgamer01
Summary: Is it possible to convince one to fall in love with you when you yourself aren't sure what it means to be in love? Can a single woman grind out years of instinct? Is it possible to tame the wildest of human hearts? Kouga sure hopes so. KouxOC
1. Moving On

I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters appearing in the Anime/Manga.  
  
Chapter 1 Kouga looked ahead into his immediate path to see the canyon walls about to engulf him. He looked eagerly onward into the small valley that he quickly approached. The 30 foot wide canyon sped hastily closer as the youkai charged forward in his incredible sprint. The feel and smell of the winds that he himself had aroused invigorated him and fueled the adrenaline coursing through his veins pulling into a kind of trance. The winds blew through his hair and over his skin, making the youkai feel so much more alive than he had felt earlier. The feeling was one of the reasons he did this everyday, his escape from the stress and the pains of leading a whole tribe of other wolf youkai wolves.   
  
Kouga pulled himself together just as he entered the canyon. Stopping for a split second, he crouched down low enough for his hand to touch the ground and leaped 25 feet into easily, onto the cliff-side of the right canyon wall. Once again, the wolf youkai let his hand brush against the wall, feeling the rough surface in the palm of his hand before pushing off up further into the air to the opposite wall. 30 feet higher on the opposite wall, he repeated the process again and again, making his way up the tall canyon with ease.  
  
With one final spring, Kouga leaped 45 feet off the canyon-side and landed on top of the valley taking deep breaths and sweating from his workout.  
  
"Ay! Kouga, you done early today. You take a short cut this time?" called out the current guard.  
  
"Not a chance Ragen" Kouga smirked "I did it all legit, no cheats no tricks, just ran the whole way."   
  
"I'm impressed," Ragen called out jogging over to Kouga's location. "Even with the shikon shards, you couldn't clear the course that quickly. I swear, you get faster everyday, maybe I should start joining you." Ragen let out a short laugh afterwards and stopped in front of Kouga with his spear in hand.   
  
"You could." Kouga started "except you have guard duty when I go" Kouga shrugged and smirked "tough luck." Kouga laughed a little bit when his comrade, and continued to joke around for a little while before continuing back towards the Den of Youkai Wolves.   
  
On the way back, Kouga's mind started to wander into thought. 'I guess he's right, ever since I got rid of those shards, I've only improved. I remember that day so clearly.'  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Kouga sat alone on the hillside gazing off into the mountain's thinking about how much he and his clan could do if Kagome would just stay and be his mate. With her ability to see shikon shards, she was a prize worth more than territory itself to him. The wind blew against his back carrying the scents of the mountain from upwind to him as the vivid dreams of conquest filled his head.   
  
A particular scent caught his nose, though faint, it seemed familiar. It reminded him of Kagome but it was slightly different. Kouga took a moment to closer examine the air with his canine sense of smell trying to determine who it was. The following scent of Inuyasha along with Kagome, revealed to Kouga that it was actually them. Why he couldn't identify her so well was beyond him, but his 6th sense told him he'd find out soon enough.   
  
The sound of four feet on the plush grass let Kouga know to turn around.   
  
"Ah, Muttface I see you have finally brought back my woman" the overconfident youkai said before he even turned around.   
  
A low growl from the dog hanyou was Kouga's response that caught him by surprise.  
  
Koga turned around to see an angry hanyou so close to Kagome that it seemed he thought she would vanish if he strayed too far.   
  
"What's wrong dogbreath? Strike a sensitive spot?" Kouga taunted.  
  
This time, Inuyasha didn't growl, however, Kagome's gaze went straight to the ground. "Kagome, is something wrong?" Kouga was within a few feet with a single short leap. He reached out to grab her chin so he could look into her eyes. This brought out an even greater growl from the passive hanyou, just before he stepped right in front of her blocking Kouga's view. "What's wrong Sparky? Can't a man even touch his own woman?" Kouga prodded, about to shove Inuyasha out of the way (and preferably off a cliff).   
  
Inuyasha's eyes opened wide at this comment. "That's enough!!!!!" Inuyasha shouted. Anger of the likes that Kouga had never seen before colored the enraged hanyou's voice just as he pulled his right hand back into striking position.  
  
Kouga's 6th sense kicked in, and the wolf youkai hopped back a few feet and crouched into pouncing position. The air was tense and the words "Bring it" were written all over the faces of both fighters.   
  
Kagome looked up to see the two rivals square off for what promised to be the most violent fight thus far of their rivalry. She wanted badly to stop the fight, because there was something she had come to do, however, she was afraid of what would result and couldn't find words at all.  
  
Meanwhile the air continued to grow tenser and tenser. Inuyasha moved his hand to ready Tetsusaiga and Kouga crouched even further down. Both fighters were as ready as they would be, and all they were waiting for was for a dewdrop to fall or a mountain to chip, so they could start their battle.   
  
A few long seconds later, a strong wind blew through a nearby tree and both fighters charged with incredible speed. With a flash, Tetsusaiga was transformed and ready, and Kouga prepared himself for the important counter he would have to make and watched Inuyasha's every move.  
  
At this point, Kagome found her speech again and screamed. "STOPPPPPPP BOTH OF YOU!!!!!"  
  
Kouga and Inuyasha, out of surprised, missed what would have been the first strike, and after passing by each other in mid-air simply landed and slid a few feet.   
  
"Please don't fight, not now..." was all Kagome managed to say, then her eyes fell back to the ground. Inuyasha immediately jumped through the air and landed beside her.   
  
"Are you okay?" he whispered into her ear, massaging her shoulders, just after sheathing Tetsusaiga.  
  
"Yes, I'm alright." She replied "but do we have to do this?"   
  
"Yes we do, you know as well as I do that we must." Inuyasha replied.   
  
"Do what?" Kouga interrupted, feeling slightly uneasy.   
  
Kagome looked up to meet Kouga's worried gaze with a look of utter sorrow in her eyes. She reached into her blouse and pulled out a nearly complete shikon no tama from a necklace.   
  
"What? I don't understand" Kouga said confused, but he was sure that it was bad, even without the aide of his 6th sense.   
  
"We've been collecting these shards for nearly a year and a half now, and we have most of the whole thing." Kagome said.   
  
"All but two shards" Inuyasha said quietly but full of malice. At this Kagome shifted her gaze once again to the ground.   
  
Revelation hit Kouga all at once when he realized what she was asking. After regaining his stature, Kouga let out only one word "No"   
  
"Please Kouga, just give them to me. I don't want to have to?" she stopped, even voicing it was hard.   
  
".Take them by force." Inuyasha finished her sentence and clenched his fist hard. "I protect my clan with these shards." Kouga said nobly "you will have to take them by force."   
  
Inuyasha grinned and cracked his knuckles. "So be it"   
  
"No Inuyasha" Kagome said still as timidly as ever. "Please Kouga, do it for me"   
  
Kouga grinned at this opportunity "If you become my mate, then I will give you the shards."   
  
Kagome looked one last time at the ground and took a deep breath, then she looked straight at Kouga with bold confidence. She held her left hand clenched up to her heart. "I can't do that Kouga" she stated.   
  
"And why not?" Kouga asked.   
  
"Because, I've already got a mate." She said as boldly as before then turned her hand for Kouga to see her palm. Across the palm of her hand, there was a scar of darker skin. Kouga recognized it from where he was as the mark of a mate, and dashed over to her, grabbing her hand before she could pull it away. Kouga brought her hand up to his nose and took in the aroma. In shock he stepped back a few feet with a look of pure horror on his face. He turned over to Inuyasha who revealed a similar mark on his right hand with a large smirk all across his face. Rage filled the wolf youkai's mind, but he subdued it, knowing that doing anything was futile.   
  
After a long moment of silence in which Kagome was hit fully with how hard her friend must be hurt by this, Kouga taking a deep breath preparing to accept his loss, and Inuyasha gloating inside about his final victory over his rival. Kouga gathered up everything he had in him for one phrase.  
  
"You win this time mutt." Kouga said between growls. He then turned over and walked back over to the rock he had been sitting on and sat back down. The three of them remained silent, each knowing what had to be done. Kouga reached down and removed the shard from his left leg, and then his right. He felt the significant drain of energy immediately, and stood up. He looked down at the shards in his hand, and couldn't help but feel he was giving away part of himself.   
  
He walked over and placed the shards in Kagome's palm, and looked once again in disbelief and the mark on her left palm. He smirked a little and lightly chuckled. "I knew I shouldn't have left her with you Muttface, and this is what I get." Another chuckle "consider this a gift, I hope that you're life together is very happy"  
  
"Thank you Kouga" Kagome said, tears welling in her eyes that this whole event was finally over. She fitted the last shards in place and shikon no tama was whole again. Kouga could feel the radiance, and fought off the urge to strike Kagome and devour it.  
  
"Good-bye Kagome." Kouga said. As he turned and sprinted back to his den and vowing to get his speed back silently somehow. ***********************************************************************  
  
"It's taken 3 years to regain the power I got from those shards, but now, unlike before, I can actually get stronger. To think, after a year and a half of running and fighting, I never got any stronger while using those shards. I guess it's good riddance after all."  
  
Kouga pulled himself out of thought just as he reached the entrance to the Den. After all that exercise he was ready for a nice long nap.  
  
"Gekido!!!!!" Kouga shouted as he entered the den. Another wolf youkai of a similar build to Kouga ran over to meet him. "I'm about to take a rest, if anything happens wake me up, until then you're in charge. And make sure that you check on the guards every so often, if they're asleep, wake them up. Got that?"   
  
"No problem Kouga. I'll take care of everything." Gekido said.   
  
Kouga smiled and walked back to his area of the Den and laid down on the mat where he slept. After a few moments he fell swiftly into sleep.   
  
"Kouga wake up!!!!!!!!" Gekido's voice shook the commanding youkai out of his sleep.   
  
Immediately on alert Kouga sat straight up "What's wrong?" he said getting quickly to his feet.   
  
"The front line guard, Ragen, was taken to the top of the center peak by a youkai-slayer" Gekido reported. "The hunter said that they wanted to meet you or else they would kill him"   
  
"Curses" Kouga said at his feet by now. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it." He said then he raced out of the den, kicking the winds themselves up behind him as he took off.  
  
Gekido was left there to marvel once again at the youkai's speed, hoping that everything would turn out alright. 


	2. A Heart Recaptured

I'm deeply hurt that no one wanted to review this fic. If anyone even read it, but oh well, I like it and will keep writing it, so too bad.  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
'How dare someone kidnap one of my comrades!!!' Kouga thought to himself as he nearly flew up the mountain side. 'This had be one good slayer if he thinks he can get away with this. Don't worry Ragen, I'm coming.'  
  
Kouga reached the top of the mountain he was scaling and stopped to examine the air. He held his nose high and turned all sorts of directions looking for the scent.  
  
'There!' Kouga thought to himself as soon as he identified Ragen's scent. The thing that nudged in the back of his mind however, was why he couldn't seem to smell anyone else from the direction he smelt Ragen. 'He must be really good if he can mask his scent' he simply thought right before leaping toward the direction of the scent and taking off in a small hurricane as soon as he touched ground.  
  
Kouga ran up and down mountain sides working his way toward the scent, and after traveling for a few minutes and getting over about 3 mountains, Kouga realized that he was close..really close. 'Darn it!!!!' he thought 'I still can't smell that slayer'. Kouga slowed his speed to that of about a human sprint, trying to make sure that he wouldn't be caught off guard. The rush of winds dissipated under his feet as he continued at what felt like a snail's pace.  
  
Kouga smelt his comrade over a single small hill with a few trees and fair amounts of grass. 'Hmm, a fairly open fighting field. This slayer's got guts' was all he could think. Because the hill seemed so open, Kouga didn't slow down anymore, feeling completely confident that in a field like this, his 6th sense would keep him well aware of anything going down with plenty of time to move.  
  
As the wolf youkai reached the peak of the hill, he saw only his comrade laid out over the ground. Instant panic took over him and he leaped over to the side of his friend to check for life signs. As soon as he landed he could hear the faint sounds of the weak breathing from his friend and deduced that he was unconscious, but in need of some kind of aide.  
  
Kouga looked around to find absolutely no one, but still would not let go of the idea that this was a trap. He wanted badly to pick Ragen up and carry him quickly back to the Den, but knew that it would result in only the both of them getting killed. Kouga began to wonder at that point why a youkai slayer, didn't just kill the wolf and wait for his comrades to get here and kill them all off, instead of trying to get only him. He put his wonders aside at the moment and refocused at the present situation.  
  
The wolf youkai quickly scooped up the body and leaped off the hill hoping that whoever was here, would not attack him quite yet. He landed at the base and set the body down carefully, still listening for any sign of an attacker. Breathing a sigh a relief, Kouga turned around once again to face the hill, and in one easy leap made it to the very top and center of it.  
  
Kouga bowed his head and listened around hoping to find any sign of the slayer. He knew that sight and smell had failed him and resorted to the last advanced sense that he had control over. After what felt like an eternity of pure silence aside from the wind in the trees and grass, Kouga heard the faint shink of steel being revealed, followed by a hardly audible gasp in surprise and a short curse.  
  
The wolf youkai turned his attention to a tree to his immediate left, just as his 6th sense went wild. To patches of leaves fell out of the tree just as two, barely visible projectiles made their way towards the youkai with surprising speed. Kouga turned completely to face the tree and jumped backwards allowing himself to fall, but in the process catching two, eight pointed shurikens between the index and middle fingers of both hands. After hitting the ground, he sprung back up onto his feet and looked back into the tree.  
  
'Eh? More?' Kouga thought as more of the dangerous projectiles made their way towards him. Rather than quickly kill his opponent, the youkai decided that it would be much more fun to play first. Kouga quickly darted to the left as his senses went off again, leaving another shuriken where he had just stood. Gauging the speed and precision, quickly of his attacker, Kouga took off just fast enough to leave a trail of shurikens behind him.  
  
Kouga snickered to himself as he snaked his way towards the tree with ease leaving the ever increasing trail behind him. 'I wonder how many of those things he's got' Kouga thought. 'Oh well, Let's make this a little more.. "fair"' he thought.  
  
In a second, the wolf youkai darted straight for the tree from which the metal rain had originated. Within a blink he was there, and stopping for a second to stretch his fingers and ready his claws, the wolf youkai slashed right through the foot thick trunk of the tree, sending splinters and shards of wood in all directions.  
  
As the tree began to fall over, Kouga noticed a petit figure jump out of it and land softly, hardly making a sound on the grass. Cloaked in a black shinobi assassin outfit, that only revealed tied lavender hair tied in a but with chopsticks.  
  
"So I see you want to play up close and personal", a female voice emerged. The slayer turned around to reveal soft raspberry red eyes.  
  
Kouga stood gaping in motionless and speechless for two reasons. First, the fact that she was a woman, and he really tried to avoid harming one unless it was absolutely necessary. The second was that he was taken aback at the color of her eyes against the color of her hair. He lost himself in fantasy, imagining how she would look with her hair down and blowing in the wind. Her skin seemed so soft that Kouga would have done almost anything to touch it. But the thing that teased him the most about this mysterious slayer, was that her scent was still masked, and Kouga could almost sense that she would have a scent that would make him melt where he stood.  
  
Angered by the awkward staring treatment, the slayer broke the silence. "What's wrong? Surprised because I'm a woman?"  
  
Kouga was dragged back into reality by these words, however still felt as though he couldn't speak. He tried to answer her question but all that came out was senseless jargon. Which seemed to only make her even more angry.  
  
"I've had enough with you..get ready to die" She called out just before producing two small daggers from two sheaths on her back. She charged at the still slightly dazed wolf youkai, swiftly and quickly, closing the distance in a matter of seconds.  
  
Kouga's 6th sense gave a light tickle to the back of his mind, and stepped back just enough so that the first slash almost grazed his nose. The slayer stepped forward and slashed with other dagger, and again Kouga stepped right out of the way of it. They continued this pattern, every so often, Kouga would side step in order to keep from going down the incline, and every so often, the slayer would throw in kicks to liven up the combo, but the result remained the same. The whole time, looked into her eyes and felt more and more lost in her, keeping silent and paying half attention to the present "battle".  
  
This continued to infuriate the youkai slayer as she continued her violent assault at her target. 'Darn it!!! He's so fast' she thought to herself 'this isn't working, I'll have to try something else.'  
  
Suddenly she stopped her assault and jumped back a few yards putting some distance in between them. When she landed, she began to breathe deeply from all the energy she had exerted.  
  
Seeing this brought Kouga once again out of his daze and a sudden and very alien feeling of concern for her flooded into his mind. "What's wrong, are you a little tired? Sit down and take a breather" Kouga blurted out without even thinking about it.  
  
The youkai slayer's eyes went wide and erupted anger. Kouga had meant to show concern and honestly meant well for her; however, it sounded more than anything like a taunt that drove her up the wall.  
  
"While it's true that you may be the strongest youkai I've ever fought with." She spat out. Kouga swelled with pride at the "complement". "Nobody mocks me" She continued. She re-sheathed her daggers and traced a pattern in the air with her right hand, and placed her left palm upwards underneath it. After a few seconds, an eight inch symbol appeared where she had traced. Kouga's 6th sense went haywire at this, but his curiosity got the best of him and he just stood there wondering why she thought he had mocked him.  
  
The assassin extended her hands quickly outward. For a split second, there was only warmth, that warmth quickly grew into heat. "Denko Jutsu!!!!" She screamed, just as a lightning bolt exploded from her fingers with a recoil that sent her hands into the air and herself a step back.  
  
Kouga's senses went absolutely crazy at the oncoming danger and it took every degree of reflex and speed he could muster in such short time to move just right enough so that the bolt connected with his shoulder in oppose to his heart. The blast connected cleanly, and the wolf youkai felt the electrical surge flow quickly through his body, and the searing heat of the direct blast on his left shoulder.  
  
The attack sent the wolf youkai flying clean off the hill leaving a very confident youkai slayer behind. She slowed her breathing just a little pulled down the mask covering her mouth to reveal healthy young lips. She smirked to herself as the relished the victory that she had won over the opponent that had mocked her honor. She turned in the wind and whispered the words "he had no chance" just before she prepared to make her leave with her job accomplished.  
  
"Are you sure about that?" asked the no more than slightly injured youkai. He walked back up to the top of the hill to see the slayer with her back towards him. He rubbed his shoulder to relieve the tinge that the shock had left, but then dropped it after feeling had returned to his left arm. "It's a good thing I moved when I did, otherwise that might have hurt." Jested Kouga, unaware of the anger that slowly filled the slayer's eyes.  
  
She turned just her head to reveal the raspberry eyes and had almost turned ruby with anger. The new expression added to the sway of her hair due to the quick motion of her head and the appearance of her lips, brought Kouga once again a daze, with an expression of pure awe written all over his face.  
  
The slayer quickly retrieved her daggers from their resting place and charged back at the youkai that had driven her to the brink of rage with only the thought of killing him to satisfy her. She lifted her right arm into the air and stabbed downwards as soon as she reached him, only to have it caught in the youkai's hand. She then made an attempt at a quick reverse slash with her free arm only to have that one also brought into captivity.  
  
Using her arms, Kouga dragged the slayer towards him in a desperate attempt to find her aroma. Agitated once again by the fact that it still wasn't present, he let out a soft unintentional growl, the anticipation was driving him up the wall. "Why can't I smell you?" he asked, trying hard to hide his obvious anticipation.  
  
The slayer looked up at him with a smirk "Wouldn't you like to know" she said, her eyes still burning with a degree of anger.  
  
Kouga nearly winced in anticipation and was near the brink of asking her what she smelled like, but figured that a human nose wouldn't be able to identify one's scent, let alone one's own scent. Discouraged (slightly) the wolf settled for looking once again into her eyes. A certain calm overtook him and he lost a sense of reality, and as he sat in his trance, words from his very soul forced their way out. "You know, you look very cute when you're angry" He said softly.  
  
Her eyes went wide at this, and she gave what she could of a growl (being human of course) as she continued to struggle against him, thinking only of slicing out his throat and giving the wolf an unneeded neutering operation, then it hit her.  
  
'A male youkai..is still a male in the end' she thought to herself with a snicker, and in a flash carried out her devious plan. She took full advantage of Kouga's trance and took it upon herself to try and make him sterile. When her foot connected to his "artifact", it brought the unsuspecting out of his trance quickly and sent him sliding to the floor, gently cradling the wound with both hands, and letting out a loud howl.  
  
The slayer took this time to release herself and jump back a few feet. She crouched down and put her twin daggers out in front of her, crossing them like scissors. She squinted her eyes as she braced herself for the coming attack, and Kouga's trusty 6th sense brought his attention to her once again (though for certain reasons, he had a hard time focusing on just her).  
  
"Die fool" she said coldly, just before she pounced at her victim with her daggers aimed right at his throat. She moved so quickly that she left a trail of after images behind her. Again, Kouga had little time to react, but due to the incredible pain in his lower torso, his movement was limited, so he simply chose to duck back down, crouching over his abused sensitive spot, and the slayer passed right over, tripping on his body.  
  
He turned around to see her topple down the hillside, rolling from all the momentum of her previous attack. Unexplained worry struck him as she fell down to the side unconscious and bleeding a bit from the coarse hillside.  
  
Somehow Kouga found the strength to crawl over to the side of the hill and rolled down beside her. He checked her for to make sure she was okay, and took a moment to breathe. Holding his breath, Kouga rose to his feet, ignoring the slowly subsiding pain of his "wound" and carefully placed the slayer onto his back and wrapped her limp arms his neck.  
  
He stood back up taking another moment to breathe and subdue the pain, when the most heavenly scent filled his nose. In itself the aroma gave him the power to ignore the pain, as he stood there in bliss.  
  
"What is this smell" Kouga said out loud to himself. He checked the air around, but couldn't pin point the exact location of where it was coming from, only that is was near. The scent continued to fill Kouga's nose as bliss overtook him and he bowed his head, so that he could relax and just be in the midst of the scent. He felt his nose touch against soft wool, and the scent that he couldn't name was slightly stronger from whatever it was. He opened his eyes eagerly half expecting a butterfly or kind of insect that he would have to look for more often. When he opened his eyes, joy overtook him as he stared directly into the forearm of the slayer that was wrapped around his neck.  
  
'So this is how you smell.' he thought to himself, happy that his suspicions could be put to rest. 'Whatever she did must have worn off when she lost consciousness, why she would want to hide such a blessed aroma, I have no idea'. He allowed himself to fall once again into the trance from the aroma, but was brought out by a barely audible 'yelp' of discomfort.  
  
'We had better get back so I can tend to your wounds.' he thought and gathered himself together for the quick trip ahead.  
  
Just before he took off, he remembered the reason he came. 'Ragen!!!!' he thought.  
  
Kouga ran over to the other side of the hill and set down the slayer, putting his sleeping comrade in her previous position, and swiftly sweeping her up bridal style just before taking off in the direction of the Den.  
  
As the winds blew over Kouga's skin and mixed the slayer's scent with the rest of the air, Kouga had but one thought in mind, and he struggled about how to go around getting it done. He looked down onto the face of this mysterious woman that intrigued him so and a single phrase made it's way to the front of his mind.  
  
'I don't know who you are, but I swear, upon everything that I hold dear, I will somehow make you my woman' He thought just before kicking the speed up a notch and closing the distance to the Den even quicker.  
  
Kouga arrived at the Den and skidded to a halt only to see all of his tribesmen gathered together with weapons in hand. At the front was Gekido, preparing what seemed to be a battle charge.  
  
"Kouga!!!!!" One of the tribe members exclaimed.  
  
Everyone else's attention quickly went to him, and Gekido ran to the over to greet the leader.  
  
"What's going on?" Kouga asked before setting Ragen down in the hands of a few tribes men, quickly telling them to lay him down to rest and recover.  
  
"We heard you howl a few minutes ago, and we figured that we should come help." Gekido reported "What happened?"  
  
Kouga thought for a moment about the reason that he had howled, and tried to come up with an excuse that was less embarrassing. "Battle wound" was all he said.  
  
"Do you need someone to look at it and tend to it?" Gekido asked.  
  
"No" Kouga said quickly "I'll take care of it myself, it's not that bad anymore." Kouga quickly dismissed himself into the Den in an attempt to escape the inquiry.  
  
Gekido was left so confused that he forgot to ask about the mysterious woman clothed in black that Kouga was holding. 'Eh, oh well, I'll find out eventually' the wolf youkai said to himself, then went into the Den to enjoy his free time. 


	3. Lilian

Author: [sigh and sob] It seems that not very many people are interested in Kouga fics.oh well. But I will continue, mark my words..Kouga WILL find happiness.  
  
On a lighter note, there is a really good Inu/Kag romance that I found called Sweet Dreams Inuyasha by Hennyo-Ryu7. It's yet another Inu/Kag romance, but is surprisingly interesting, and well written (especially because this is his or her first fic posted on ff.net). So support him/her, because they deserve it.  
  
Anyway, back to the sad romantic life of the one and only Kouga.  
  
BTW I Don't own Inuyasha, Kagome, or Kouga (though I wish I did)  
  
Chapter 3:  
  
Kouga stared at the face of the warrior who had made an attempt at his life oh so short a time ago and smiled. Her skin was actually as soft as it seemed he had figured out while patching her wounds. She didn't really suffer any huge injuries from the fall except for a chipped bone in her left leg. She slept peacefully on the bed of straw that Kouga normally used for his own, without so much as a peep.  
  
He inspected the bandages again for the 4th time in the last 20 or so minutes, knowing full well that, besides the leg injury, none of the wounds were truly serious enough for bandages, even for a human; however, he could not help but feel truly protective of her. After deducing that they were all good still and none of them needed to be changed, Kouga sat back near the head of this lavender haired human goddess that the fates had so kindly brought to him, pondering his situation.  
  
'I know I must have her but I don't know why.' he thought to himself, slowly drifting again into his thoughts 'What is it about her that makes me act this way?' The wolf youkai struggled inside himself through and through trying to find the answer to his question. 'Why do I care about her so much? Why do I feel so content just being near her? Erg, she has gotten to me so much and I don't even know her name. Curses, I wish knew.' Due to this frustration, Kouga took the time to get up and punch the nearest wall to the cave, with just enough power to make it crumble a little but not shake the cave.  
  
"You okay Kouga?" asked one of the tribesmen that had been pushed out of the cave by the curiously protective leader when he striped the woman to bandage all her wounds.  
  
"I'm okay, everything is alright" Kouga replied.  
  
Kouga sat back down near her head and prepared to check the bandages yet again when she started to stir. He was surprised at first, but also relieved that she was waking (though why, he didn't know). He leaned over her face to get a good look at her as she opened the raspberry pools of pure beauty that captivated him so.  
  
The slayer's eyes opened wide, ruining the moment and she let out a short scream before sliding out from underneath the youkai that was towering over her. She backed against a cave wall, flinching a little from the obvious pain in her leg, and her hands fell to her sides, looking for shurikans that Kouga had already taken well away from her. Upon realizing this, she gave the youkai a glare and let out an aggravated "growl", then reached behind her back for the daggers that she had used earlier, only to find that they were also gone.  
  
Kouga sat there all this time, moving little outside but fighting inside. 'SAY SOMETHING, ANYTHING!!!!' he screamed at himself, knowing that he had no idea what to say in this situation.  
  
"Nice to see your awake" He blurted out, for lack of anything better to say. "Are your wounds okay?" he asked, knowing full well that a human child would probably have been fine with most of her injuries.  
  
The slayer didn't answer, she simply continued to look all over body, in every pouch and possible storing space, for any shurikans that the youkai forgot to take.  
  
"So uh.." Kouga muttered, as he clumsily and desperately searched for words to say. "Are you feeling okay?"  
  
The slayer glared again and went back to her search without saying a word.  
  
"Well, if your wondering where you are." Kouga started, still feeling unconfident about talking to her. "This is my Den, I brought you here to tend to your wounds"  
  
Kouga felt his pride beginning to muster even as he spoke.  
  
"Why?" The slayer asked, taking a quick reprieve from her task. "Do you prefer your lunch to be in good condition? Or is it so you can enjoy hunting me down before you kill me?" She shot out, her voice thick with anger and hate in oppose to the fear that most would have during this conversation.  
  
"No no no" Kouga replied frantically waving his hands in front of his face while shaking his head. "You've got it all wrong, I have no desire to eat you, I simply brought you here out of concern. Honest."  
  
"Really?" the slayer spat out sarcastically, not believing a word. "Wolf youkai tribes are known for their deep ties to their pack. Some have even been known to sacrifice themselves for the well being of another of a few. Right?"  
  
"Well, yeah, I guess so." Kouga replied.  
  
"So then why would you bring me, one who already not only made and attempt on your life, but also endangered one of your friends, to this place where I can do more danger? I thought that the wolf youkai held nothing more sacred than their pack." She asked, then resumed her search for her hidden weapons.  
  
Kouga started to squirm uncomfortably at this argument. After all, she was right, normally he's have killed her on the spot of even just left her out to die, but never bring her here. What continued to drive him more mad wasn't that he had brought her here, it was why he couldn't even dream of killing her, and the thought of his pack devouring her made him cringe even more. At this point the slayer looked up again to see the uncomfortable youkai, realizing that what she said held some obvious effect on him, she figured that she would pursue the interrogation: just for fun.  
  
"What's wrong?" She mocked "Is there something you want to tell me? You know, you're a lousy liar, I know you want to eat me, so why not just do it? I want to hear it from your own mouth." She hoped to herself for just a moment that she could use to get out of the Den. She knew she could come back anytime to finish what had been begun, however now was not the time to stick around.  
  
Kouga cringed a little more, then decided it best to change the subject before something really bad happened. "Anyway.I never got your name." Kouga complimented himself in his mind for the quick thinking, and held his breath hoping that she would move on and cease the interrogation.  
  
"You know it's rude to change the subject like that." She said. "Besides, I didn't give it." She said coldly before resuming her tiring task of looking for weapons (which was quickly getting old, and she was running out of places to look).  
  
"Oh come on" Kouga pleaded to her "I brought you here and tended to your wounds, something that even you know is taboo. If I'd have left you out there, you might have been eaten by some other youkai out there. All I ask in return is your name."  
  
The slayer heaved a heavy sigh and retreated once again from her task and glare up at him again. "Lillian" was all she said then returned to her job.  
  
Her hands slowly made their way to the inside of her outfit near the chest and her eyes widened and twitched a few times at the realization of what it meant.  
  
She looked at the wolf with eyes full of disbelief. "y-y-you stripped me?" She asked, hoping that this was a mistake.  
  
"Huh?" Kouga caught off guard by her question. "Oh, yes I had to, to make sure to get all of your wounds. Don't worry, I sent everyone else out of the cave when I did it so no one else saw you. By the way" he let out a short whistle and pointed to her chest "Not bad"  
  
If Lillian had been angry and twitching before, this brought down a whole new level anger. Veins in her head and neck began to bulge as her whole body tensioned up.  
  
"Oh?" Kouga replied "Does that bother you?"  
  
Lilian was nearly awestruck at the wolf youkai's simplicity, but found it to be no excuse for his actions. So she decided that she would take matters into her own hands, and in what seemed to her as a split second she was pouncing through the air with a fist in front of her, ignoring the sudden sharp pain in her leg.  
  
Kouga (seeing this coming a mile away without even anticipating it) slowly arched back and rose a palm to swiftly catch the quickly approaching object. He realized however that he had underestimated her power from her position, and when the blow came, the force was just enough to knock the off balance youkai on his back against a wall, and land a surprised youkai slayer on top of him in a VERY questionable position.  
  
Out of instinct, Kouga softened his (already soft) grip on her hand and slid his unoccupied hand around her waist holding her close to him. She was so close that Kouga lost all prospective on reality outside of the immediate area. All he could focus on was her, and that was all he wanted to do.  
  
He heard her stifle a yelp from immediate surprise when she fell into his chest, and quietly "sh"d her to attempt to calm her. Bliss overtook the youkai as the realization that she was so close nearly forced him into a trance while the name "Lilian" danced on the edge of his lips.  
  
Caught in the perfection of the moment, he failed to notice the slight struggling against his hold on the one that he so adored. She tried with futility to free herself from her captor, and after a few seconds, as the position they were in dawned on her, she started to once again get annoyed.  
  
She looked up into the glazed eyes of the youkai that would not let go of her, and her anger began to kick in more and more.  
  
'He's ENJOYING this isn't he???' she thought to herself. By now she was fully peeved at this turn of events, and rather than be stuck so close to the youkai that had not only humiliated her so, but also obviously needed a bath, decided that there was one thing she could do. 'It worked once before' she thought, before drawing a deep breath.  
  
Had Kouga not been so thoroughly enchanted by the situation, he may have noticed the cry for help that his senses exclaimed in a futile attempt to save his previously damaged organ, but he was. However, when that knee strike connected, he came straight out of his trance and to an excruciatingly familiar world of pain.  
  
The wolf youkai immediately relaxed his grip, allowing the woman to pull back. Trying vainly to suppress a yelp (might I add very vainly), he pinched back a small unintentional tear that started to burn against his eye, as his hands fell back to his damaged relic and he retreated to a fetal position.  
  
Lilian, taking full advantage of this turn of events, immediately pulled away from Kouga's broken form. With a grim smile she suppressed the aching pain on her lag, trying to ignore it but unable to hide the definite limp. She positioned herself further in the cave and stood straight up (with great pain) and took a square stance. She rose one of her hands palm face up and began chanting and drawing the symbol from before with her other hand.  
  
Kouga's eyes opened wide when he heard her. Immediately the pain vanished (sort of) and he rolled over to look at her hoping that his ears deceived him. Surely enough, they didn't, Lilian stood there in all her grace, chanting away, and the lucid symbol from before appearing in front of her. Kouga knew he was in trouble because this time, not only was the symbol there, but the winds started to pick up around her and the energy she emitted even sent a small chill down his spine.  
  
The swirling winds did not help Kouga's situation at all. The small device that kept her hair pinned down blew out and released lavender stands of beauty that would have fallen down to her shoulders. The hair blew in her face, and the pure awe left Kouga speechless, had he been able to move (due to the reappearance of a familiar pain) he wouldn't have wanted to.  
  
Lilian looked at him coldly with a grim smile painted on her face. "This time, I won't miss." The symbol in front of her grew brighter the warmth of the impending thunder strike surged through her fingers, and all Kouga could think to himself was 'This is really gonna hurt'.  
  
"Denko Jutsu!!!!!!!" She cried out and thrust her hands forward sending out a thunder bolt easily three times the size of the one from earlier.  
  
A flash of light, and a sudden sensation was all Kouga knew then and was jettisoned out of the Den with an alarming speed. This left Lilian barely standing back where she was, the blast took nearly all of her energy, and grounding herself nearly made her scream form the pain in her leg, surely that had only made it worse.  
  
'At least he's dead' she thought to herself, panting incredibly and wincing at the very thought of trying to walk away. 'The weapons I can get more of so I'll just go, hopefully the shock of their dead leader will keep the other pack members off me. Now, back to the village to collect that bounty and relax.'  
  
She suppressed yelps of agony as she walked to the entrance of the cave. A small smirk streamed across her face as she saw the group of pack members huddles around where she guessed Kouga's carcass must have been.  
  
'Serves him right' she thought to herself. As she made her way away from the cave. She hadn't made it very far when she heard a familiar voice that sent a chill of disbelief down her back.  
  
"Where do you think your going?" Kouga asked mockingly. He sat up straight smiling and wiping a little bit of blood away from his lip, with the majority of the fur on his upper body singed and a whole in the center of his breastplate. "Feisty one aren't you?"  
  
Lilian stood in full shock as Kouga made his way to his feet with little trouble. He walked slowly over to her, while her jaw remained wide open. 'I- i-i-is he immortal?' she thought to herself.  
  
"Surprised?" he asked when he reached her. The dust swayed and gave to the wind as his tail swished lightly to one side giving to it's superior yet subtle force. "You are truly incredible" he said just before pushing her hair out of her face.  
  
Lilian came out of her shock and pulled back, growling softly. She stepped back onto her injured leg, and in the process yelped quietly as her leg gave under the sudden pressure. She slowly started falling backwards, and lacking he energy to catch herself, gave in to the will of gravity.  
  
"Careful" was all Kouga said as he gently caught her and helped her back up onto her strong leg. "I brought you here for you to heal, so just rest alright?"  
  
Kouga pulled away from her angry gaze to look upon his confused pack of friends, his arm still around the woman, who at this time was not very happy with this, but had little choice in the matter.  
  
He stood proud and prepared to address his pack. "Listen up!!!!" he began "Everything this woman has done against our pack is hereby forgiven. You are not allowed to touch her in any way that has ill meaning, treat her as one of us." he paused allowing what he had said to sink in knowing the most important part was still to come. He looked into the confused, raspberry eyes of the one he held so dear, then looked to his pack again. "For I will make her My woman!!!!" He announced.  
  
Author: Okay, weak ending, I know but oh well, this has been long enough already. Lol. Anyway, Kouga has made his "Declaration of Love", tell me what you think, there is more to come. BTW, I had major writer's block while writing this chapter so if you want to help out, submit ideas to either phantomgamer01@yahoo.com or reach me on AOL Instant Messenger at phantomgamer01. 


	4. A Plan

Author: [sob] Nobody's reviewing anymore!!!!! Why is there so much hate for Kouga that no one will read his quest for happiness!?!?!?! Alas, such is the fate for a true believer in Kouga...[sigh].  
  
Oh well, to the few, the proud, the Kouga fans..I bequeath another chapter of "What about Me" (BTW I'm gonna start proof reading these chapters now ()  
  
Chapter 4:  
  
Not a sound could be heard among the multitude of bodies gathered at the rocky entrance to the Den. Shock consumed their faces, thoughts, and ability to rationalize this sudden turn of events. As they all stood there with their mouths gaping open, they could only wonder what exactly was going on, let alone why it was happening.  
  
In a similar situation, Lilian looked up at the face of her current supporter, in pure, gaping disbelief. "What's" and "why's" sought to overtake her mind as she leaned against the wolf's embrace, in utter futility, knowing that she would fall should he let go. Trying desperately to convince herself that the events that had just transpired were all just out of a bad hallucination or nightmare, her expression still remained in a chilly medium between shock and disbelief, hoping to wake up at any given moment.  
  
Quickly regaining her rationale (but not being quite able to remove the look from her face) she began to plot any way possible to get out of her current dilemma; however, her current lack of weapons and steadily worsening leg injury, seemed to cancel out most of her plans at the "escape" phase. Only the looks of the multitude of youkai wolves, gave her comfort, hoping that their disapproval would cause Kouga to call back his declaration; it was a long shot, and she knew it, but there was no hurt in hoping.  
  
The pack realized that Kouga had a tendency to make declarations of love without actually loving the person, this time, they thought, it probably was no different. With Kagome, it had been the power to see the shikon-no- tama pieces that made her invaluable, but there was no apparent reason to any of the awestruck youkai as to why he would declare this woman as a mate. Besides the recent display of enormous ki energy, there was nothing the wolves could make about her that seemed any more than usual, and after spending a good amount of time staring at her trying to figure out her secret, their gazes shifted all at once back to Kouga.  
  
A beaming look of confidence was irradiating from Kouga's bold figure, and in his eyes beheld a look of pure certainty and pride, which the youkai had seen only a few times before. It was in this look that, they too, began to feel some of that boldness and began to agree in their minds to stand behind the leader that had never steered them wrong. It was but a few seconds before a loud audible voice could be heard among the group, voicing the thoughts that all of them wished to say, but had not come far enough away from the initial shock to speak.  
  
"We stand behind you Kouga!!!!!!!" It called out "Let us prepare a feast in the name of Kouga and our soon to be sister!!!"  
  
All at once, the group was alive; shouts and cheers rose high into the air and fell back down gracefully over the mountainous terrain.  
  
Even though she normally hated spoiling other people's good moods and celebrations, Lilian would not stand for this outrage. Gathering her little strength she pulled away from Kouga with quite a bit of force, nearly knocking herself down. She stood slouched over, holding a nearby boulder trying to keep her weight off her wounded leg, as she took a deep breath and concentrated on just standing.  
  
Kouga was the only one to notice this event and looked at her with puzzled eyes. Slowly, he stepped toward her to hold her again but was met with an unexpected backhand to the side of his face.  
  
At once, everything was still and even the wind seemed to hold it's breath. The entire youkai tribe stopped amidst their cheering and laughter, scarcely breathing in awe of what just happened. None of them however, were as surprised as Kouga himself. He stood their, slightly off balance, his head tilted slightly over to the side, with a blank look in his eyes, and his jaw dropped nearly an inch and a half.  
  
As the small red mark on his face began to slowly show itself, Kouga also turned to look at Lilian, who hadn't moved after the strike, and probably couldn't move much at all. Beads of sweat ran down the side of her face, and her breath was hard. She turned to meet Kouga's gaze with anger and hate burning fresh in her eyes, as the fires that could never be quenched.  
  
In that instant, the memory in which Kagome had done the same thing pushed itself to the front of his memory. It was that moment that had undoubtedly started the cataclysmic chain of events that had lead to Kagome choosing Inuyasha over himself. Terror filled the youkai at the thought of it happening all over again, because this time, it was different, there was something more about her that made Kouga nearly shiver at the thought of losing her. What scared him more, was that he had already started down the same path as he had taken with Kagome, and he did not how to turn back; he didn't know any other way to win her. He knew youkai females normally mated with whoever was the strongest suitor, and Kouga knew that he was by far one of the strongest; however, Lilian wasn't like that, and unfortunately that was all Kouga had ever known.  
  
Kouga took a deep breath, and continued to gaze on Lilian. Her raspberry eyes erupted with passionate hate, and just being looked at with them made Kouga cringe on the spot. Each passing second under the loathsome gaze of her eyes, felt as though it took with it parts of his heart, and scattered them, one by one on the winds which he so adored. Looking at her figure, pained him more and more with every moment, serving as a reminder that he could not even delay the inevitable: she was going to hate him, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.  
  
His eyes fell to the ground as he struggled with this absolute. He fought off tears he could not understand, and wallowed in the self pity that threatened to destroy him. But amidst the darkness that attempted to steal his joy, there was yet a glimmer of hope that stood out in the back of his mind waiting to be noticed.  
  
The moment remained quiet, as everyone stood absorbing the drama that took place so potently. The youkai pack stood altogether, still dazed at the moment, and had they wished to say anything at all, they would not have been able to force the words off their lips. Lilian slowly pulled her attacking arm back to the boulder and shifted herself to a more comfortable position, still holding her eyes on the impeding wolf, her mind scheming, trying to plan out the her next move, but coming up with nothing.  
  
Meanwhile, the wolf youkai took in a deep breath and stood tall once again, denying his even his own comrades the sight of his weakness. He cracked a false grin on his face and took two steps towards the nearly immobile huntress, and in one clean maneuver swept her up bridal style before she had time to protest. Without a word he turned toward the Den and slowly and carefully made his way there, making sure not to harm the precious cargo, and avoiding eye contact, lest he lose his composure. All the while, his pack still remained awestruck and silent.  
  
Lilian looked up at the wolf youkai, and her rage continued to burn, yet not as brightly due to her overwhelming fatigue. Trying to suppress the urges to fall asleep in his arms, she mustered what little strength she had, attempting another strike to the side of his face; however, she overestimated her stamina and by the time her hand reached his face, it was nothing more than a gentle caress. The touch caused Kouga's tail to involuntarily move out to the right, then the left, and back down; though she herself didn't notice it. Her hand slid back down to her stomach, then off to dangle out of the reach of the youkai's arms. With that, her will and determination to escape were totally enveloped by her need to rest, and she slipped off suddenly to peaceful unconsciousness.  
  
Kouga continued to walk slowly, when he felt the shift in weight as her head turned on it's side and rested a soft cheek on the on the crease of his elbow, he breathed a soft sigh and looked down onto her face. All of the strain of anger and hate, had quickly drained from her, showing the innocent side of her which Kouga wished he could meet. He passed by his pack and flashed a smile to his comrades to show that everything was alright, and continued onward toward the Den.  
  
Finally the silence was broken when a voice amidst the crowd spoke out to lighten the mood. "It's probably better that she's asleep Kouga," he said "that way she can't complain"  
  
Kouga stopped at that, and there was a moment of silence once again. A true smile made it's way across his face as he turned it slowly there way, and chuckled. Confidence ignited amongst the wolf youkai as the moment's tension slowly declined.  
  
"She would have nothing to complain about" returned Kouga.  
  
"Riiiiight." yelled out another voice from the pack. "Just make sure that if she does wake up, you warn us so we can be ready to pick up your charred body again."  
  
Laughter sprung up from the group after the comment, and even Kouga let out a chuckle. He looked down at the maiden in his arms and smiled once more before raising his head again to continue.  
  
"She would be too busy telling me how great I am to remember the words for the technique" Kouga replied beaming with pride, knowing full well that if he did rape her in her sleep and she woke up, she would blast him with extreme prejudice, and he really did not want to be hit with that from close range without armor.  
  
"Keep kidding yourself Kouga" called out Kiro, emerging to the front of the crowd. "The only reason she would be calling your name, is to figure out what your trying to do to her, that is if you can even make it inside before you pop your top."  
  
The laughter grew in volume and some of the pack members had even dropped to the floor at this point.  
  
Kouga bowed his head, shut his eyes, smirked, and shook his head, "Well, I think I'm pretty good..but that's just me, why don't we ask Mina what she thought of last night."  
  
Everyone knew that Kouga had too much honor to touch another one's mate (that is why he stopped chasing Kagome), but the joke still caused many more of them to be slain with a fit of laughter.  
  
Mina slowly made her way to Kiro's side, the recent joke was not as funny to her or Kiro as it had been to the other's, but she still had a light smirk etched on her face. Kiro placed his arm around her, stroking her shoulder lightly, as she leaned into his side.  
  
Kiro had the same smirk on his face and Mina and shook his head a little. "Cold, Kouga, nice one though." He said "but at least the first mate I chose, chose me back"  
  
To Kiro, it had been just a joke, but no less than Kouga deserved, but to Kouga; it was much more.  
  
Kouga smiled and pretended to not care, but had truly lost the will to joke around at the time. He continued joking around half heartedly for a while then made his leave.  
  
===============================================================  
  
Still carrying Lilian in his arms he entered the Den, ignoring the woots and cheers from his pack mates behind him. The walls of the caves were dimly lit by the torches placed every ten feet apart on both walls. He made his way to the catacombs within, until he found his quarters.  
  
The whole time there he had avoided looking down at the lavender haired goddess that had driven his wild so far, because every time he looked at her, it reminded him that he would inevitably lose her, and this, to him, was a fate worse than death. It wasn't until he laid her down on the straw bed he normally slept on that he looked upon her face, and everything he had tried to forget rushed all back to him.  
  
He kneeled down beside her still body and gently stroked her hair. He gathered all of the lavender locks together in one hand, with the other he hooked a single strand in his index claw, and swiftly cut through it. As best he could, he tied her hair together with the strand, and set the attempted ponytail down.  
  
He sat there for what seemed like hours, just listening to her breathe, enjoying her scent, and looking upon her face in the dim light. One thought ran wild through his head the entire time as he sat in the presence of the sleeper 'he had to have her, and he would not give up without a fight.'  
  
He bent down by her head and whispered into her ear "I will find a way to make you want me", he kissed her softly on the cheek and quietly got up. He turned and made his back into the dark maze of walls and eventually out to the entrance.  
  
Outside of the cave held no more light than the cave itself, the half moon and the stars were the only light that shown on the mountain. A little way's out from cave he spotted Gekido sitting and enjoying the night air.  
  
"Gekido" Kouga called out when he reached speaking distance.  
  
The "young" youkai turned around to see a silhouette which, using his sense of smell, identified as Kouga. "What do you need?"  
  
"I'm off to go see Trent to ask him about some things, please watch over Lilian while I'm gone. She is in my quarters, do not enter them, but do not let anyone else in either." Kouga asked, solemnly and quietly.  
  
"No problem" replied Gekido standing to his feet "But why do you need to see Trent, our pack is well, and there are no invaders coming, why do you seek his advice?"  
  
"To prevent what happened with Kagome from happening again." Kouga said at nearly a whisper.  
  
"You must really care for her to go seek the wisdom of Trent to please her." Gekido said as he walked over, stopping right next to him, but facing the Den.  
  
"You have no idea my friend, thank you" Kouga replied, and with that the two went their separate ways.  
  
Author: IIIIIII LLLLLLIIIIIIVVVVVVEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finally finished this chapter (I've been off and on writing it for about a month) hopefully the next one will be quicker. 


	5. Trent

BTW. Wword and I aren't speaking right now, so if the punctuation is off, im sry.  
  
Chapter 5: Lilian awoke from her uneasy rest and sat up on the soft bed. She rubbed her eyes lightly, trying to clear away the soft layer of haze that coated them, slightly blurring her vision. Her entire body ached just enough to limit her movements, and her arms were so sore that as soon as she finished clearing her eyes, she dropped them heavily down to her sides. Far worse than all this however, was the searing pain of her leg; when left completely alone, it was little more than a slight tingle, hardly grabbing her attention, but when she moved it, it was a pain that nearly caused her to cry out.  
  
After taking a moment to remember everything that had happened over the course of the day, she assessed her surroundings in the dim light. As far as she could tell, there was no one with her, but she could faintly here the breathing of someone just outside of the "room". She figured she was deep in the youkai den based upon the fact that she saw no natural light, and the scent of over a hundred cave dwelling youkai that bbbbaaaaaddddlllllyyyyy needed baths.  
  
Realizing that she was going nowhere anytime soon, she decided to laid back down to rest, she wouldn't be escaping in her current condition, so she figured herself a prisoner to the strange youkai that was known as Kouga. She gently laid back down and took the time to honestly ponder her situation.  
  
Based upon everything she had read and heard about the wolf youkai tribe, and everything she had seen in youkai in general; she couldn't figure out why she was still alive or why she was being treated so nicely. The pack had been known for strong bonds, and crimes against any one member, were the same as crimes against all of them. What boggled her mind more than even this, was the faint memory of the leader of this pack making the odd declaration of them becoming mates. The more she thought about it, the clearer the memory became, and the clearer the memory became, the more confused she got about it. The fact that she had always thought that human/youkai coupling was just wrong, and knowing that most youkai mate out of instinct or for power and never love; made the situation even worse. Deciding to let the near future run it's course, she slunk deeper into the bed she had been laid on, and fell victim to peaceful sleep, pushing her current dilemma to the back of her mind.  
  
Kouga leapt through the air, clearing the last bit of mountain rocks and made his way to the small gathering of trees a little way off the base of the mountain. Landing just short of the small forest making a loud "thump" and a large cloud of dust, Kouga arose rather slowly and looked onward into the domain of Trent. He had always hated talking to the tree youkai, so he reserved meeting him for an absolute last resort; this was one of those times. Trent wasn't the easiest youkai to understand, and Kouga prepared himself for all the extra jargon that the sage would speak ahead of time.  
  
He passed by the first small bushes marking the perimeter of, gulping deeply, partially afraid of what the answers Trent would give. Coming into this area was never easy, because even though Trent was an incredible strategist who had helped Kouga lead the pack out of many tight situations, the tree sage lived alone and never learned the value of another's life. There had been quite a few times, when Kouga had to disobey many of the tree's commands in order to save every life possible, but every time, he managed to lead the pack through the tough trials, never having to uselessly sacrifice a single life.  
  
As he walked deeper and deeper into the mini-forest, he grew bolder and bolder; until he stood face to face with the tall tree in the very center of the area. Trent was a unmistakably different from all the other vegetation in the area, he was much bigger and much wider. His roots could be seen easily a foot wide and perfectly circular as far as five feet away before they tucked into the ground. His leaves were a more vibrant green than those of the other plants in the garden, and bore a fresh scent of jade and mint. Among his branches was the golden yellow fruit that had been named youkai's mana, because it was known to help revitalize any youkai almost instantly.  
  
Slightly above Kouga's head was a large circular dent in the trunk of the tree, outlined by a swollen ring.  
  
"Trent" Kouga said commanding the tree's attention "I, Kouga, leader of the pack of youkai wolves on this mountain, come asking for you're wisdom and guidance."  
  
For a few seconds, the air stood still, and Kouga's beckon floated around aimlessly in the still air. Shortly afterwards, there was a loud creaking and the dent in the trunk of the tree molded itself in the shape of an old and wrinkled face.  
  
"Kouga" Trent began "nice to see you again." his old and deep voice flowed off of his wooden tongue.  
  
"Likewise" Kouga responded "It's been a while."  
  
"I agree" Trent responded. "But I highly doubt that this visit has any purpose of investigating such miniscule trivialities as saying 'hello'. I presume, by the nature of your arrival that some catastrophic dilemma has surfaced and threatened you and your pack, or so it has been in the past. Obviously, this problem must have reached a critical level of significance and gone quite beyond your measures of control; ergo, in order to rectify the inevitable mistakes you have, or are soon to make, fate has lead you, irrevocably.here."  
  
Kouga simply stood there staring for a moment, and after coming to, resisted the urge to slap himself and ask Trent to repeat what he just said. He assumed that it was just Trent saying "hello, is everything alright?" Kouga wondered for a second on why he thought, this was a good idea, but he already knew that if anyone could help him in this situation, it would be Trent (no matter how painfully dull getting the answers would be).  
  
Trent looking upon the dazed look on Kouga's face slowly cracked a smile. "Your drooling" he joked. Kouga immediately wiped around his mouth, then understanding the joke, put on an un-amused face. He didn't want to be here any longer than necessary (obviously Trent wasn't the most pleasant person to talk to), so he cut straight to the chase. ' "No" Kouga started "My pack is fine, I'm not" "Oh I see" Trent said in a very "know-it-all" kind of tone "the nature of this visit isn't one of such immediate danger as any upcoming war; however, I do agree that any affliction that has besought you that could cause an untimely death would be very unfortunate. If you truly are under any danger of health, which you certainly don't seem, you know very well that I would be thoroughly delighted to share some youkai's mana with you. All you have to do is jump up and grab some."  
  
Kouga (getting slightly agitated) responded "No, I'm fine too"  
  
"But you just clearly stated" Trent interrupted.  
  
"Never mind what I said" Kouga lashed out, getting more agitated by the minute.  
  
"Well whatever is affecting you, there is no need to take it out on others" Trent replied.  
  
Kouga growled to himself "Will you just listen!" Trent shut his wooden mouth and looked at Kouga focusing his complete attention on the now aggravated wolf youkai. Kouga let out a deep breath and prepared to speak. "Earlier today, when I came back to the Den from my morning run, I found that one of my pack mates had been captured and was taken to the highest peak in the range. Even though I knew it was a trap I went mindlessly to go rescue my comrade. When I made it to the top of the mountain, I was attacked by an assassin that I couldn't smell, and after a short and rather easy fight, I defeated the assassin and found out it was a human woman. Once she lost consciousness, her scent was no longer masked, and with that coupled with her sheer beauty, I was filled with emotions I had never felt before. It felt good to be around her, and I feared that I had hurt her in our duel. Feeling an over powering urge to protect her, I brought her back to the den. While she was unconscious I disarmed her completely of all of her weapons and was entranced by the totality of her beauty. She awoke and we tussled again, resulting with me getting sent flying out of the Den, stunned, and with a hole in my armor. She limped out of the Den and tried to escape, by I awoke and went over to her. Feeling that I absolutely had to make this woman my mate, I did what most youkai do, and declared her to be my mate; however this didn't blow over too well with her. She slapped me and made me remember what happened the last time I tried to take a human for a mate. She then passed out and I carried her into the Den, to rest in my quarters."  
  
Kouga took a deep breath and looked up at Trent to make sure he understood before continuing, the tree sage blinked (because he couldn't nod his head) urging Kouga to continue. "I know that I could easily force the mark of mates upon her, and be technically her mate, and I know that I could force myself upon her; but just thinking about removing the choice from her turns my stomach upside-down. All I know of this, is the way that wolf youkai normally do things, we normally mate with whomever seems fit, and I know that I'm more fit than any human, and most youkai; but she's not like that. I know that continuing in the way that we do things, will drive her away in the end, but I do not know what else to do. That is why I came here, because I think you can help me."  
  
Trent took a moment before answering this question, because even he wasn't quite sure how to answer this question. He was a master strategist, and one of the wisest beings in the area, he even managed to keep up with current events via the youkai birds that gossiped while stopping in his mini- forest; but out of all these things, he was not a lover.  
  
"Well I certainly agree" Trent began in his usual tone of voice "that this is definitely a different kind of problem, though no less important or complicated. The case of this human woman that has so clandestinely entangled your affection, definitely is a circumstance on a substantially different and quite honestly more difficult. This problem, you see is consistent on many different levels, some of which, I can readily and easily help you, on others I can only give advice that is at most incompetent."  
  
Growing impatient with the sage's round-a-bout style of speech, Kouga began to tap his foot and growl unintentionally. "Alright, can you just tell me what you know?"  
  
"Okay, if you must insist that I be more considerate in the potency of my speech" Trent continued "I would be most willing to oblige"  
  
Kouga rolled his eyes once more.  
  
"As you can tell thus far," The sage continued "humans and youkai are very different in the way that mates are chosen. While a youkai wolf, and many other breeds and clans of youkai, will choose a mate that provides the most convenience as far as land, power, or any other trivial, and physical matter; human beings choose on a completely different level. Human anatomy shows that, while the human brain is one of the most advanced among species, it is easily overwhelmed by chemical imbalances within any given body triggered by events and experiences. These anomalistic occurrences have however, remained inconclusive and inherently different for each human being, causing manipulation of the event nearly impossible. Common side effects of these occurrences include: increased heart-rate, increased blood flow throughout the body causing uncontrollable blushing and sweating, light convulsions of the stomach, and a sensation commonly thought of as "this feeling", that I personally believe to be another form of inexplicable joy. Because the human intuition is so easily overcome by these feelings, that they call "love", it has long been a human custom to choose a mate by these feelings and events because they are quite pleasurable. The err of this is innately that these feelings don't always last forever, ergo a set of human mates don't always remain faithful after those feelings fade away."  
  
"I don't understand" Kouga butted in "I mean, I kind of do. I think that I may be getting these feelings because whenever I look at her. I just."  
  
"Hm, most interesting" Trent resumed "Well, unfortunately, there is bad news with this; as a youkai, it is not in your nature, or even in the customs of your tribe, to react this way. You have no experience or even guidance to lead you in the correct course of actions you must follow. Ergo you can only follow I in the manner which instinct will lead you, which obviously is the beginning of the cataclysmic and catastrophic chain of events that lead to your inevitable and seemingly excruciatingly painful separation. Coupling that with the fact that she already burns with a passion against you, only spells out the obvious: It is impossible for you, and possibly, any other youkai to acquire the love of any human being. I apologize."  
  
Kouga stepped back as his worst fear confronted him again. His eyes went wide as the understandable part of Trent's words made him realize that the fate he had hoped to change was impossible. 'In the end, I can only lose her.' He began to think to himself 'I'll lose Lilian, just like I lost Kagome to Inu.WAIT!!' "INUYASHA!" hope flared into his eyes again, and a confused Trent looked down upon the youkai with a look that spelled out "explain". "I told you that there was another human woman that I thought I had fallen in love with, well Inuyasha is the youkai.well hanyou that she fell in love with," he explained, bursting with joy. If anyone can tell me how to make a woman fall in love, it should be him. I'll go find him and ask him. Thanks Trent."  
  
Just before he turned around to leave, he was interrupted by the tree's voice.  
  
"Wait, from what I've heard, most instances of love surface either at an instance, or over the course of time, since you know that she hasn't instantly fallen in love with you, it will take time; take her with you so you can stay under the watch of this Inuyasha."  
  
"That's actually a very good idea." Kouga said a smile of a child wrote itself across his face and he turned to leave. "If this works, I'll make sure to come visit for a chat a lot more often."  
  
With that, the small whirlwind that Kouga had been known for, grew out of no where, and with the swirling winds, the overjoyed youkai took off for the Den, more swiftly than he had ever run before.  
  
Author: Okay, I think that's good for now. I'll write more when I get the chance (if anyone actually cares to read it). BTW anyone who wants to read this fic, may want to put me on author alert when/if you send in a review for this chapter; that way whenever I finish this next chapter (hopefully soon) you will know. 


	6. The Late Kaede's Village

Author: YAY!!!! I got a review from a new person [sheds tears of joy]. That makes me so happy I'm actually starting this chapter the day after I finished the last one.  
  
Wammy: I'l go back and preview the other chapters to make sure the spacing is right. And about Sango, Miroku, and Shippo; as for now they are together (Sango and Miroku), but they are all off doing some random thing so they don't get in my way. I may introduce them later, but as for now, I dunno.  
  
Chapter 6:  
  
Morning came to the Den of Youkai wolves, and a faint tint of natural light could be seen a little way into the cave. All those that were not on night watch awakened at the same time and prepared themselves for breakfast, hoping that the morning hunters had gotten something really good for breakfast. The sounds of many youkai wolves yawning and stretching would have woken anyone up, anyone except Lilian, who was still passed out from the previous days venture.  
  
Nearly half an hour after all the other members of the pack had awoken and had gotten ready to eat, Lilian awoke to the odd clanking of metal. At first the sound had only stirred her sleep, but after only a few moments, it brought her to consciousness. She yawned and sat up, just as the scent of jerky filled her nose and the mysterious sound stopped. She opened her eyes and the still dim light in the cave made waking up a little easier on her eyes.  
  
Things were pretty much the same as the last time she had woken up, except she could move, her leg didn't hurt as bad, and now Kouga was sitting in the corner, hunched over a little sack and looking at her. She couldn't tell what was in the sack, but she really didn't care to ask him, because she didn't care to talk to him. As she came closer to full awareness, she scowled at the youkai, and quickly turned the other way.  
  
Kouga flinched internally at the sound, still not liking the fact that she hated him, but he knew that before he could make her fall in love with him, she was probably going to hate him for a while. He stifled his feelings for a second and opened his mouth to speak.  
  
"Are you hungry?" he asked her.  
  
Up until this point, Lilian had ignored her stomach due to the urgency of her situation; but the question reminded her of an important fact: she was very hungry. In light of this, her stomach felt the need to answer for her, with a long, bubbly growl. Lilian's arms fell over her stomach as she hunched over (still turned away from Kouga), and it was then that she remembered the jerky that she had smelled before. She turned around to face Kouga once again, and suppressed another scowl in hopes of getting even a semi-eatable meal.  
  
Kouga grinned and chuckled lightly to himself "I made that for you" he said pointing to a small bunch of what smelled like pork jerky on a large leaf. "It's probably the only thing in the Den that is cooked enough for your stomach to handle."  
  
Lilian reached out for the food slowly, still not trusting the wolf, but not willing to starve either.  
  
"Don't worry" Kouga said "It's safe, and it tastes alright too, I tried a little myself"  
  
The reassurance didn't help things go any faster, but soon enough Lilian pulled the leaf closer and lightly clasped one of the pieces of jerky. She gently lifted it up to her nose and inhaled to make absolutely sure it was safe, knowing well that there were only about a handful of poisons she would be able to detect on scent alone. Once the morsel had passed the final test, she placed a little of it in her mouth, and closed it around the piece. The taste met her tongue, and even though it was obviously not seasoned, it tasted pretty good, and with that she bit down on the jerky. It was tougher than she expected, but it wasn't too much for her to chew without much trouble.  
  
After she took her first bite of the food and swallowed she pulled it away from her mouth and ducked her head to Kouga. The only that surprised the youkai more than this, was the timid "thank you" that she spoke right afterwards, and at a loss for words, he could only reply "no problem".  
  
With that, Lilian went back to her meal, and Kouga went back to his task with the sack, and the odd sound of clanking metal returned.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Lilian spotted one of the daggers she had brought with her, and her curiosity got the best of her.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked the busy wolf youkai.  
  
"Packing all of your weapons and stuff" he replied without even looking up from his task.  
  
"How come?" she asked, now not really concerned with the food "what are you going to do with all of it?" At this point, she figured it was a good turn of events, she knew where her weapons were, and they were concentrated in one spot now so all she needed was the sack, and a good distraction.  
  
"We're gonna go visit some friends, and I figure that you should have these back when we leave." Kouga responded, hoping that she wouldn't get to angry, or ask the dreaded question...  
  
"But why?" Lilian asked "and who, what are you talking about?"  
  
Kouga had rehearsed this tale in his mind seemingly a hundred times, but he didn't really like the idea of lying to the woman he hoped to claim as a mate. 'okay,' he thought to himself 'you can do this, it's a perfect plan, just don't screw this up'  
  
"Well, I don't think that your leg is gonna get much better here anytime soon, since you seem so uncomfortable, and my pack doesn't really have the means to treat humans because we heal so much quicker and easier" Kouga said "But I know some old friends who should be able to help, I think you should heal a lot quicker with them, and I haven't seen them in a long time."  
  
"Oh" Lilian said, she wasn't really expecting this, but then again she hadn't really expected much of anything she had gotten since she was first injured. She was also happy though, because she was afraid the smell of the Den was going to rub off on her and she really felt like she needed a bath too. "When are we leaving?"  
  
"As soon as you finish and I'm done packing your things" Kouga replied, going back to the sack.  
  
"How can you trust me not to kill you while were gone when I get all my stuff back?" Lilian asked in curiosity, but regretted it a second later realizing she had foiled a potentially good plan.  
  
"Dunno" Kouga replied stopping and looking up at the ceiling/wall/cave...thing "I guess I just have to hope that you won't do that"  
  
"What makes you think I won't?" she yelled, slamming the still only slightly touched jerky back on the leaf. "Because I can, and I will first chance I get!" once again scolding herself inside for ruining a pretty good plan.  
  
"Maybe" Kouga said calmly, shrugging his shoulders but knowing that the chances of killing him were really slim unless her were either really injured or really distracted "But I doubt you will, after all, I'm only taking you to get some better help. So eat up, you probably won't eat again until we get to the village, and that's a two hour run."  
  
"You think I can run two hours with my leg injured like this?" she asked slightly calmer and reaching again for the jerky.  
  
"No, I'm gonna carry you" Kouga replied "but there is no reason to waste energy yelling"  
  
Lilian was about to continue the conversation/argument, but was interrupted by yet another interference of her stomach, so she decided to be quiet and eat. Kouga finished up with the packing and walked over to her placing the sack next to her.  
  
"I'm gonna go get something to eat, I'll be back in about 20 minutes at the most, will you be done by then?" He asked the hungry woman.  
  
She didn't say anything she just nodded, as she picked up another piece of jerky.  
  
"Alright then," with that he walked out of the small room. =========================================================  
  
"Alright, I'll be back soon guys" Kouga said to his pack members. The sun was fully up and the wind was blowing gently. The wolf youkai tribe gathered around to say their good-byes even though only a handful of them knew why Kouga was really going. Lilian sat on a nearby rock trying to avoid moving her leg, her arms crossed with the sack of weapons hanging in the fingers of her left hand. She had played the scenario of putting half of the bags contents in Kouga's back through her mind many times, and the only reason why she didn't was because he had been so kind to her.  
  
"Until I return, Gekido is in charge" he turned to his friend "I'm trusting you with this load because I know you can handle it, if anything bad happens, you know where to go."  
  
Gekido nodded with reply, and with that Kouga walked over to the rock that Lilian was sitting on and lifted her into his arms bridal style, trying not to shock her leg too much.  
  
Out of surprise, Lilian "meeped", and after Kouga chuckled a little, placed the sack on her torso and wrapped her arms around it. She looked up at Kouga to let him know she was alright, and with that, the wolf youkai took off with the word "good-bye" left on the trail of wind he left behind. ==============================================================  
  
Kouga stopped abruptly at the edge of a cliff, bringing Lilian out of the day dream that she was caught up in to help pass the time. She looked up at Kouga with a bit of confusion in her eyes, before she looked over the edge of the cliff.  
  
"We're here, look" Kouga told her, motioning with his head towards their destination a little while away. Kouga smiled, this was the beginning of what he hoped to be the best turn of events in a long time, plus he wanted to get another whack at Inuyasha if the opportunity presented itself.  
  
Lilian looked over the cliff into the distance to see the village for herself. The village was actually barely visible, and would probably be about two or three hours walking...for a human, but she was quickly learning that Kouga was just a little faster than a human. She was glad that this trip was coming to a close, because there had only been one rest for her, and her legs were badly cramped (making the injury feel worse).  
  
"Let's go" Kouga said. With a large leap, they were in the air on their way to the village, and upon hitting the ground, Kouga's signature whirlwind kicked up and surrounded the two in the tinted green winds.  
  
By now Lilian had been used to seeing things from inside the whirlwind; the light green tint on the surroundings and the long distances closing quickly no longer surprised her. She looked forward as the village that was barely on the horizon a few seconds ago, became steadily larger as the distance closed second after second.  
  
As the village became larger and larger, Lilian noticed a few people near the edge stop what they were doing and stare in her direction. She figured that they had just seen the strange whirlwind, and were curious to what it was about. As the seconds flew by and the village grew, so did the number of people awaiting their arrival.  
  
Once Kouga had gotten close enough to village (roughly 20 feet), he pressed both his feet into the soft ground, stopping the whirlwind, and making him skid. Dust flew up all around him as he finally made his entrance into the village. He waited in the dust, standing just inside the imaginary line of the outskirts of the village, and stood tall. "Oohs" and "aahs" could be heard clearly from the dust, and did nothing but Kouga's already large ego.  
  
When the dust cleared, Kouga stood still and strong, Lilian sat there bored in his arms, and the small gathering of village people had transformed into a mob of confused villagers, a few with pitchforks and other such farming tools.  
  
"Can you put me down?" Lilian asked Kouga.  
  
"Oh sure" Kouga obliged, placing her down gently on her good leg, and pulling her to lean on him so she could stand. 'Now to find Kagome' he thought to himself.  
  
The gathering of villagers had easily become well over fifty people, and a good mix of old people, men, women, and children (most of which stayed close to what seemed to be their mothers or fathers). Kouga skimmed the crowd looking for anyone that resembled Kagome, but all he saw was anonymous faces, and a weird part being made by someone who was trying to get to the front of the crowd, but he wasn't certain who it was.  
  
As the cleft made it's way closer to Kouga and Lilian, Kouga began to get more and more curious, and awaited the mysterious person's arrival. It wasn't until the groove had made it's way to just short of the edge of the crowd when a familiar scent pricked Kouga's, a scent that he would never forget, and that he could detect even above all the other people in the crowd.  
  
A smile made it's way on his face when none other than Kagome emerged from the crowd. Adorned in the ceremonial red and white kimono of a village miko and her bow and quiver on her back, she smiled largely at the surprise of seeing an old friend again.  
  
"Kouga!" She exclaimed "It's been a long time" she said as she walked toward the wolf youkai ignoring the shocked responses from the crowd. Remembering that the villagers were not used to seeing youkai just dropping by without the intent of killing them, thought it necessary to fill them in on the situation. "Oh uh" she said to the audience, turning around "This is my friend Kouga, he's okay, you can all get back to whatever your doing."  
  
Immediately the crowd began to disperse amidst random groans and other various conversations starting up.  
  
"Okay" Kagome said, turning back to Kouga and Lilian "What brings you here to this village of the late Kaede?" She tried to hold back her sadness at the mention of the late seasoned miko that had taught her everything she had needed to succeed her as village miko, but Kouga could hear it faintly, but didn't know Kaede, so didn't really care.  
  
Lilian shifted against Kouga and a quiver of pain caught her off guard, causing her to "yelp" very quietly. With this both Kouga and Kagome's attention focused on her.  
  
"Kouga," Kagome asked curiously "Who is this?" She held out her hand to Lilian to shake "Kagome, and you?"  
  
"Lilian" she spoke before Kouga could for her "I'm a...friend of Kouga's"  
  
"Really?" Kagome asked "well what brings you here?"  
  
It was Kouga's turn. "Well she was visiting my pack and I on our mountain and she hurt her leg, and we aren't really good at medicine for humans, so..."  
  
"I understand" Kagome said calmly "It's one of the things I do best. Please follow me."  
  
With that she turned and walked towards the middle of the village, and Kouga picked Lilian up and followed the young miko.  
  
After a few minutes of walking, the two made it to a nicely sized cottage next to a shrine that, based upon the odd yet familiar vibes Kouga was getting, was probably an incredible power source.  
  
Without even looking back at Kouga, Kagome answered his burning question as if reading his mind, pausing in the doorway to the cottage.  
  
"Yes, in that shrine is the shikon-no-tama" Kagome said "it is my sworn duty to protect it from any one who would use it's power for evil." Kagome stepped inside, holding the door open, and Kouga entered into the small cottage, and Lilian shifted in his arms to avoid hitting her head on the door.  
  
"Lay her down in here and I'll have a look at her right away" Kagome said smiling with the gentle voice that was special about her. Kouga did as he was commanded, laying Lilian down on a soft feather mattress and stepped back.  
  
The lighting in the cottage was nice, golden rays of sunlight seemed to pour in from everywhere, leaving hardly a shadow in the small room. For a brief moment, Kouga was once again captivated my Lilian's beauty and forgot his purpose in coming to the village. The sunlight danced in her hair and reflected off her perfect skin, her scent filled his nose, and for a moment he even got light headed. It took him only a little while to focus, and although Lilian didn't notice (as he had gotten a little better at hiding it) Kagome did, and just didn't respond.  
  
"I guess I'll be off for a little while then" Kouga said. Lilian faked a smile and said a false "good-bye" followed by an internal 'good riddance'.  
  
"Kagome" Kouga asked "I can tell that Inuyasha was in the village recently but I didn't see him, do you know where I can find him, I need to talk to him."  
  
"Oh sure" she responded, she held out a finger pointing east. "There is a plateau to the east of the village, I think he's up there"  
  
"Thanks" Kouga waved his hand and left out the door, wondering why Inuyasha wasn't here with Kagome in the village.  
  
He turned to the east, with the plateau in front of him, not 2 miles away, and down wind. As he kicked up the whirlwind, a small smile drew itself on his face, his purpose wasn't to fight, but if Inuyasha was anything like he used to be, Kouga knew the two would have at least a tussle for old times sake if nothing else, and he was eager to have a good round with his old "friend".  
  
Author: IT......IS......FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay [smiles evilly] next chappie is the first Inuyasha vs. Kouga fight scene...and it will be much goodness. BTW, this is a question to anyone who reviews before the next chapter is posted, what should Inuyasha be doing on the plateau..."relieving" his male/canine urges, meditating, sleeping, or what. Open to any and all suggestions. 


	7. Desperate Times

Author: Ok.....I lied. This isn't a fight chapter, it's a short (and I mean short) plot chapter. But please don't hate me [ducks under flying objects] I wanna get all this out of the way now so I can be done with most of the important history.  
  
BTW, this chapter actually takes place somewhere during the last chapter so...enjoy.  
  
[exhales] here we go...  
  
Chapter 7:  
  
A cool wind blew from the west, causing the all the short blades of grass and the leaves on the few trees of the plateau to shift in unison. The waves in the greenery of the area were peaceful and perfect for reflection and meditation. The never ceasing wind brought the scent from Kaede's village, allowing Inuyasha to be at peace knowing that both the village and (more importantly) his mate were safe.  
  
It was a good thing that the winds of the plateau always blew from the west, so that whenever Inuyasha was up there, he would always know when something was wrong and in but a few moments, be there to help. On the winds from the village he could even detect Kagome's scent, however, that didn't make being apart from her any easier.  
  
Inuyasha shut his eyes taking in the entire scents around him, the villagers, his mate, the grass, the trees, and the thick braken berry juice that so thickly coated his left hand. He rested his head against the base of the tree he was sitting by and allowed the winds to cool his bare lower region.  
  
The sound of the light lubricant along his skin somewhat disgusted him, as he tried to focus on it to keep his mind off his surroundings, yet through his shut eyes, he could see the burned image of Kagome in his mind's eye. He let out a small groan, half from the fact that he hated doing such a thing, and half from the comparably miniscule twinge of pleasure that warmed his relic.  
  
He pulled his head forward for a moment, without ceasing the motion in his left hand, and brought his right up in front of his now opened eyes. The scarred skin on his palm did little to help ease the moment, he never imagined that he would be subject to ever having to do this act again once he had taken a mate; but then his situation was slightly different than he originally thought.  
  
He groaned again, shut his eyes, and lightly banged his head against the trunk of the tree again. Inwardly he cursed the monk and his lover that had so deserted him, and brought forth his dark chain of events.  
  
'Curse them' he thought scowling at the memory of Miroku and Sango 'why'd they have to go. Well, I guess I'd probably want to go see my family if they were still around when Kagome and I finally get the chance to have a kid, but then again, I could get there, visit and be back in a few days, not "probably six months or so"' His thoughts mocked Miroku's voice from the memory about three months ago, when he and Kagome were first told that their friends were going to go visit the monk's mother and living relatives.  
  
'What friends they are..." he said aloud, between sporadic grunts of anger and pleasure. He sighed heavily and wished that he could be with Kagome right now, he needed her, and he couldn't be with her.  
  
His thoughts drifted to the years that they, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and sometimes even Shippo had spent watching over the shikon no tama and protecting it from even the weakest of youkai; but the whole time, they had done it in shifts. During that time, everything was so easy, he and Kagome were able to be together when Miroku and Sango or Shippo and Kirara had been guarding the jewel. If they weren't mating than they were just able to be alone together, and if not that, then she would often just sit and watch Inuyasha train Shippo a little with the 12 inch katana that Totosai had given him for his birthday.  
  
He exhaled once again, though this time not from the pleasure, but from the fond memories he had of the past few years.  
  
He took a moment to grab another handful of braken berries from the red sash he had learned to bring with him whenever he let himself start thinking about Kagome when she was guarding the shikon no tama. The dark violet berries were no larger than ordinary blueberries, and after he crushed them in his hand, they released an aroma that was both tangy and sweet, and a the very thick juice that helped him serve his purpose. The new juice felt warm on his relic, and he went back to work, trying to get the task over with, even though the feeling he produced by himself was nothing to how Kagome had made him feel.  
  
He exhaled again, and looked once again at his marked hand, he had taught himself specifically to do this task left handed because he would never disgrace their mark by touching himself without her.  
  
He shut his eyes and began to go back to his train of thought. 'Even Shippo is strong enough to defeat some of these wanna-be youkai underling's underlings, and if he couldn't, Kirara was always with him to stop the others. It would be nice if he could just take at least one day out of the week to guard the jewel with Kirara, but then again, I suppose that that fox youkai test of adolescence is important to him.'  
  
Shippo had gone to undergo the first of three tests that fox youkai's always take to prove themselves as adults. The first of the three, the test of adolescence, was a long pilgrimage that they took at rather young age. Even though he has to fend for himself the whole time, Kirara went with him to make sure that he was alright.  
  
'It was rather nice of her' Inuyasha continued in his thoughts 'to watch him even though she can't really help him according to the rules, but supposedly he'll come out of it stronger than he was, which is good for me, and she'll be able to get him back here much quicker. Still, I wish I could be with my mate, especially right now.' Inuyasha looked down with sorrow on his swollen gland. 'I really wish I could be with her.'  
  
Inuyasha continued on in this fashion until something odd pricked his nose. The scent grabbed his full attention and pricked at his memory banks. After taking a moment to match the scent with one that he had almost forgotten, he finally recognized the scent of the youkai that had given him many an interesting duel.  
  
A smirk drew itself slowly on his face and he slunk back against the tree trunk, he remembered the expression on Kouga's face when he had admitted defeat for Kagome's courtship, and he knew that the wolf had at least a shred of honor, he trusted Kagome was safe.  
  
'No doubt Kagome will tell him to come up here and at least say "hi"' Inuyasha thought, sinisterely. He cracked the knuckles on his right hand by tensely curling them into a fist. 'and when he does...I sure hope he managed to get some of his strength back, It's been a while since I had a real good fight.'  
  
With that he went back to his task, trying to push Kouga (a very definite turn-off) out of his immediate memory.  
  
'If only I had more control over my urges when I'm around her' he thought to himself. A slightly more audible groan pierced his lips as he got closer to climax. Memories of when the others had just left him and Kagome came to him, when the two of them tried to guard the jewel together all the time. After a few days of not being able to be with each other physically, they had become so distracted by each other that a particularly weak youkai was actually able to get a hold of the shikon no tama. Luckily they were able to kill it before it digested the shikon no tama, but at that time they knew that they could not take the risk of being together; that was three months ago, and being apart from her had not gotten any easier.  
  
The only relief Inuyasha received during Kagome's shifts, was that since the wind of the village always blew to the west mysteriously, Inuyasha always knew what was going on, and even though it didn't lighten his suffering, at least it eased his mind.  
  
'Why'd she have to be so adamant about taking on so much of the responsibility for the shikon no tama?  
  
"Look Inuyasha" her voice from the memory broke it's way to the front of his mind "I'm the miko of this village now, it's more my responsibility than anyone else's to watch over it. I'm going to do at least equal work in guarding it, after all, it's my purpose now."  
  
Inuyasha sighed and grunted again, his back arched a little against the trunk of the tree, he was glad to know he was almost done.  
  
Kouga's scent started to grow heavier by the second, letting Inuyasha know that Kagome had done as he predicted and started to work harder so that he could be done as soon as possible. Once again, the hanyou forced his old rivals appearance out of his mind and tried to focus on the night he and Kagome actually marked itself.  
  
His nerves reacted from the memory, and the sensation grew as he moved faster trying to get the act over with. His face began to twitch involuntarily and his groans became more frequent and louder as the memory progressed further and further.  
  
Soon afterwards, he heard a long, loud, and rather husky howl originating from the base of the trail up the plateau. Kouga's warning served it's purpose, alerting the hanyou of his presence, then faded of to be carried onward by the wind.  
  
Inuyasha did what he could to silence his sounds, but he knew that Kouga could most likely still hear him, so he didn't try all that hard.  
  
After only a few minutes more, climax came, and climax went. Inuyasha gathered his seed on his left hand and pulled up his pants with his right. He stood up and disposed of the fluid as if he were doing a Hijin Ketson (except not with blood) off the west edge of the plateau like he always did. After finishing with that task his took a deep breath and prepared himself mentally for what he hoped would be a promising fight.  
  
'Kouga got here a lot faster than I expected' he thought, smirking once again. He pulled on his fire rat's cloak and reached over to the sheathed tetsusaiga. He fitted the enchanted blade into the belt of the cloak. 'I can't wait'  
  
Inuyasha let out a piercing howl of a dog, letting his old rival know that he was ready to meet him, and nearly unable to hold still from his excitement.  
  
Author: Okay, now that that's done, the true fight scene can begin. So now you all know what happened to everyone else and where they are, and you also know the sad predicament that Inuyasha and Kagome are in...how sad, oh well. Lol I'm gonna start the next chapter without waiting for the reviews so it should be done sooner than most of the chapters have been. Chaoness. 


	8. Dog Fight Pt I: High Stakes

Author: WooHoo!!!!! Spring Break rocks, I might be able to get more than one chapter done in a few days...[grins sinisterly] or I could not....bwahahaha bwahahaha MWAHAHAHAHAHA [slaps self, coughs, and regains composure] sorry about that.  
  
BTW, switched the rating to R because I got a review from someone who was obviously not old enough to read the fic, therefore, it's now rated R due to weak graphical nature and (most likely) dramatic and heavy violence and gore (and this is my romance fic lol)  
  
Also, I got my first flames a few days ago, so I truly feel like a writer; however, unlike those who have already flamed me, I would appreciate it if anyone else who flames me would do so with courtesy. Tell me what's wrong, no need to try to bash me into the ground, call me gay (yes it happened in one of the flames), or be overly...evil. And for goodness sake, this is a fan- fic, not an essay please, no more grammar flames.  
  
[deep breath] now that that's done...  
  
Chapter 8:  
  
The dog's howl pierced the clear sky, echoing down the base of the plateau. As if on cue, the breeze picked up a little, blowing the greenery on the side and top of the plateau to one side. Inuyasha was now ready, and Kouga wasn't planning to disappoint his once rival.  
  
As he heard the pups signal, he got up from his meditation style sit and looked up the side of the cliff going to the plateau. It was a jump of about 150 feet straight up, made easy by pieces of rock protruding from the cliff almost all the way up. Finding a path would be easy work, but then again, this way would be much more fun; and crouching down about 5 inches Kouga leaped with enough strength to reach the first rock about 50 feet up. As he left the ground, the winds of his take off created a violent circle which would have lifted almost anything not rooted strongly in the ground to lift up a few feet.  
  
His feet touched the first rock for just a second before he jumped up further, utilizing little energy to save for what he hoped would be an impending fight. He made his way up the cliff swiftly and easily, jumping from rock to rock with practiced ease, and he got near the top 3 scents hit his nose: Inuyasha, braken berry juice, and seed. A small smirk crossed Kouga's face, sometime he'd have to ask Inuyasha about it, but that would be something to save for another time.  
  
He made his way all the way up, and passed the edge of the cliff, with 30 feet of hang time left in his jump. He looked down from his place in the sky to see a smiling Inuyasha looking up at him, cracking the knuckles on each hand.  
  
Kouga touched ground fully crouched, allowing himself to be shrouded in the dust that he had spurred. He had practiced this kind of entry before during his training when he got bored, and begun to stand up in a way so that the dust had just begun to dissipate when he had almost fully stood up. A strong breeze blew the dust away just as Kouga got to full stature and whipped through his tail and hair, and running over his skin. A smirk was on his face as he saw Inuyasha, who's hair was also being blown by the breeze.  
  
'That could not have turned out any better' Kouga thought to himself 'I must look really cool.'  
  
'I bet he thinks he looks really cool' Inuyasha happened to think at the same time 'but, feh, I've seen better'  
  
"Long time no see Muttface" Kouga allowed his husky voice to travel on last breaths of the dying winds.  
  
"Likewise Fleaboy" Inuyasha retorted. All this time on the mountains had not wasted on only worrying about Kagome and whacking off, plus he figured Dingobreath and cowardly wolf were kinda old and weak.  
  
Kouga's eyes widened and his jaw nearly dropped. "F-F-Fleaboy???? You actually came up with a new insult?"  
  
Inuyasha grinned, trying to hold back his flaring pride "yeah, you got something to say about it you rabies infested wolf-whore?"  
  
Kouga froze out of shock, and after taking a few seconds to regain his composure, clapped a little. "Niiiiiiiiiccccccceeeeeeeee"  
  
"Anyway, Spot" Kouga turned around looking to the sky, shutting his eyes and trying to find Lilian's scent on the winds "I need to talk to you"  
  
"Sure" Inuyasha smirked "we can...talk" Without warning Inuyasha began to close the distance between them quickly and raised his right hand above his head, near the end of the approach.  
  
Kouga's 6th sense reacted, jolting him out of his fixation. He turned to see Inuyasha above his, Tetsusaiga still sheathed, and his right claw raised above his head to strike. He quickly rolled over his right shoulder, avoiding the blow, then jumping back a few yards and landed in a pouncing stance.  
  
Inuyasha turned slowly, a grin on his face. "You didn't expect to only talk did you?"  
  
"Heh" Kouga chuckled "No, not really"  
  
"Then let's talk" with that Inuyasha was moving again, but this time Kouga was ready, he crouched down lower and awaited his rivals approach.  
  
Inuyasha came with a right cross slash to the mid-section, and even though Kouga didsee it, he didn't move. The distance came closer and closer to zero with each passing moment, Inuyasha's claw moved swiftly to the torso of Kouga's armor, and just before contact was made Kouga darted to the right, leaving Inuyasha to spin a half circle from the momentum.  
  
"I see you got your speed back, excellent"  
  
Kouga pounced at the distracted hanyou, gaining some height instead of going straight across the ground, he pulled his right leg back preparing to make Kagome a very sad and lonely woman.  
  
Inuyasha darted back just enough to avoid the strike, leaving Kouga with his back turned do to the extra energy from the kick. In an instant, Inuyasha attacked once more, slashing across with his left claw for the back of Kouga's head. Kouga heard the blow coming and ducked low to the ground to evade it.  
  
As if planned, Inuyasha followed up with a quick overhead slash toward the ground. Kouga rolled forward just before the attack landed and Inuyasha's hand hit the dirt hard, spurring a little dust into the air. Kouga launched himself back at Inuyasha with his back turned, as soon as his feet hit the ground from the roll, he turned at the last second, and kicked with his left leg.  
  
Inuyasha, spun around the kick and curled his first into a ball during the spin, coming around with a spinning back fist aimed at the hook under in the back of Kouga's head. Kouga quickly grounded his foot, and rose his right arm to block, making connection at both wrists.  
  
Both fighters jumped back a moment after impact, sliding at their toes as they slowed to a stop.  
  
"Hey puppy, I need to ask you something" Kouga shouted falling back into pouncing position.  
  
"What?" Inuyasha shouted back, not leaving his ready stance.  
  
"What did you do to make Kagome fall in love with you" Kouga shouted, pouncing once again at Inuyasha. He pulled back his right arm to punch, and let loose the blow as he made his downward descent.  
  
Inuyasha grounded himself, and caught the blow his left hand. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just ask me how to make my mate fall in love with you"  
  
Inuyasha struck with his right claw upwards, trying once again to slice off the wolven battle armor.  
  
Kouga caught the strike at the wrist and held it tightly, still suspended in the air. "Not for her, I need to know because there is another human woman..."  
  
Inuyasha twisted his right hand and pulled it away as soon as Kouga's grip on it weakened, He clenched his left hand around Kouga's fist and tossed him over his shoulder.  
  
Kouga landed a short distance away, crouched over and sliding on his feet and right hand. "...but she doesn't seem to feel the same way about me."  
  
"So you need my help then."  
  
"Yeah, you are the only youkai...well hanyou, that I know of who has made a human fall in love with them"  
  
Inuyasha took a moment to ponder this situation while still in fighting stance.  
  
Time stood still for Kouga as his once rival weighed whether or not to help the only other person that had competed with him over Kagome's heart. Kouga wasn't honestly sure he had good chances with the hanyou the more he thought of it, but he would not give up yet. He would beat the secrets out of Inuyasha if he had to, even if it meant facing off against Tetsusaiga.  
  
After a moment forever etched into sands of time, Inuyasha spoke "How bout this? If you can beat me, I'll tell you what I did, and even help you get her to fall in love with you."  
  
"And if you win?" Kouga hesitated  
  
"Nothing, but the offer will still stand until you win, so you can come to fight me anytime."  
  
"Deal" Kouga smiled, things were going his way, and he planned to keep it that way. "I don't think that it'll take more than one try though." He slunk back into pouncing position.  
  
"Bring it on Balto" Inuyasha responded, grinning like a fiend.  
  
Kouga wasted no time getting to Inuyasha, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, he was in before on his target. His left hand soared through the air, grazing the silver hair of a hanyou that barely moved his head in time.  
  
Inuyasha jumped back to gain distance, but Kouga pursued punching quickly with his right arm. Inuyasha avoided it by rotating his body to the right, and the to the left to avoid the next strike from the other hand. He felt his feet touch the ground again, and jumped further back, still pinned on the defensive.  
  
Instead of following Inuyasha again, Kouga jumped upward, and arched his body back while pulling his right arm back as far as it would go. His descent was quick and it was well aimed, if Inuyasha hadn't darted off to the right, he would have been in a world of pain. When the blow struck the ground, the plateau seemed to shake, but it didn't stop Inuyasha, who had immediately charged back in, his right arm held high.  
  
"Sankan Tensou!!!!!"  
  
He slashed at through the air, and brought it down to hit across Kouga's upper back, but he propelled himself off to Inuyasha's right. He witnessed in amazement at the streak of amber energy left in the air from his opponents youki, and felt the blazing heat that it left in the air for a few moments.  
  
'Note to self,' he thought 'do not get hit by that, cut + burn = ouch'  
  
Inuyasha turned through the swing, and during the turn jammed his left claws into his right forearm.  
  
"Hijin Ketsou!!!!!"  
  
He completed the turn and landed square on both feet, sending the crescents of blood red youki soaring at the unprepared wolf.  
  
Kouga pulled both his arms up to brace for the oncoming impact, knowing that there was little else he could have done. The four blades collided hard against Kouga's arms and armor, but did not cut, sending the wolf back faster than he wished to be moving.  
  
Kouga grounded his feet in the ground and slid back a few yards then let down his arms to see Inuyasha traveling quickly along the ground, propelled by a single forward leap. His 6th sense went off, and Kouga ducked low, avoiding another burning Sankan Tensou aimed at to slash across his chest. His sense went off again, as Inuyasha followed up with yet another Sankan Tensou, slashing up the leg and chest; he jumped back to avoid the strike, feeling the heated residue.  
  
As Kouga jumped back, Inuyasha quickly crossed his arms over his chest and dug into both shoulders, then fired two Hijin Ketsous at his retreating opponent.  
  
Kouga's feet touched the ground with just enough time to jump up while still moving backwards, the flying blades of youki passed underneath his feet bringing over a temporary sense of relief. His calm was interrupted by his 6th sense alerting him of present danger, he diverted his attention away from Inuyasha for a moment, to the oncoming cliff behind him.  
  
He gauged his distance from the cliff, and when he touched ground again, brought his feet down into the ground hard, and bent over, grounding his hands into the ground too. He stopped just short of the cliff and looked up to see an attacking Inuyasha.  
  
He sidestepped downward claw strike, and jumped back towards a more secure location on the plateau.  
  
Inuyasha followed him quickly, and struck again across the face.  
  
Kouga ducked again, but rather than jumping back stepped in towards his rival. He brought his fist back as he stepped closer, and focused his youki into it.  
  
He let out a cry as his fist lit up brightly with a pale light of concentrated youki. He jumped upwards attacking with a jumping uppercut.  
  
Inuyasha rolled over to the side just enough to avoid the blow, but the awkward dodge prevented him from counterattacking.  
  
Inuyasha jumped back and Kouga landed on the ground allowing the energy, that had now moved to cover his whole forearm, to dissipate. Both fighters looked at each other, with wide grins on their faces, they had hoped for a good fight, but this was more than they had hoped for.  
  
"I think it's about time to take off the kid gloves" Kouga said. He began to focus his youki to both hands and feet, causing them to glow faintly in readiness, prepared to explode with power on command.  
  
"I agree" Inuyasha said. He stood up straight, the grin on his face getting wider. Inuyasha's right hand slowly crossed his body and made it's way to the tattered hilt of his deceased father's gift. He gripped tightly on the hilt, and in a brilliant flash of light, Tetsusaiga was released in all it's transformed glory. He held out the sword to his right and looked at Kouga, who was trying to not outwardly tremble from the blaring volume of his 6th sense. Kouga had seen this blade in action before, and he knew that unless he wished to be yet another trophy on the hanyou's list of victories, he'd have to avoid that blade at all costs; that and the mysterious technique that he had seen so many times before.  
  
"Let's" Inuyasha continued.  
  
Author: Alrighty then, that's done. What did you think, was the fight interesting thus far? Seriously, tell me because there is quite a bit more to go and I'd hate for you to read it if it bored the crap out of you.  
  
Until next update, chaoness 


	9. Dog Fight Pt II: Old Dogs, New Tricks

Author: Forgive me readers for I have sinned, it's been about a week and a half since my last update, and I had two weeks of Spring break to write.  
  
Now that that's off my chest, how have you all liked the fight so far? Now that the kid gloves are coming off, the fight should get more interesting so there will actually be blows landed this time. And I finally got new inspiration for rapidly coming events (finally) so I won't have to stall as long as I would have as I start seriously working the romance part of this fic.  
  
Chapter 9:  
  
The smile on Kouga's face slowly drifted away and was replaced by a look of pure focus. The time for games and showing off had ended, it was now time to get down to business. Inuyasha followed suite and moved Tetsusaiga out in front him, grabbing the bottom of the hilt with his left hand and allowing the blade to point directly to his right.  
  
Kouga cleared his mind of all distractions, focusing only on his surroundings, Inuyasha, and any alert of danger to warn him and help him react.  
  
'For you Lilian' the words danced in his mind for a second before clearing out along with everything else.  
  
With a single whim, his hands both exploded with the silver youki that had surrounded them only a few moments ago. With the explosion, he crouched a few inches, then with as much speed as he could gather in the short distance to run, took off towards Inuyasha like an arrow. His feet were like a blur, stepping quickly and loudly on the ground, closing the distance in less time than and average human could react; however, Inuyasha was more than human, and was fully prepared for the attack.  
  
Inuyasha drew his blade up the short distance from his defensive stance to block the first quick blow that Kouga released, a predictable right hook that was deflected by Tetsusaiga without too much effort. The impact from the punch surprised Inuyasha a little bit, the focused youki added a bit of kick to Kouga's attack, and if Inuyasha had still been playing around, he may have been hit in the face with the blunt side of his own sword.  
  
Inuyasha stepped back and easily moved the blade again to block a second strike, then a third, and a fourth. Each blow coming from alternate hands, and each one becoming more and more difficult to deflect. By the time the fifth strike came; a right punch with a downward angle meant to place Tetsusaiga in a position that would make blocking a sixth strike near impossible; Inuyasha thought it wiser to avoid the trap and evaded the blow completely by jumping back a short distance.  
  
During the jump, Inuyasha changed stances, so that Tetsusaiga was behind him when he landed, and as soon as he feet touched ground, he jumped forward again dragging Tetsusaiga in the air behind him. The short distance took only the time of a breath to close, and Inuyasha swung through with Tetsusaiga, using all his body weight and momentum, not afraid of killing his opponent. The blade cut cleanly through the air, and Kouga narrowly avoided it by bending at his knees and throwing all of his body weight backwards, leaving him in a very vulnerable spot, but still very much alive.  
  
Inuyasha did not even hesitate, and with the same ferocity, swung all his body weight around in a full circle, bringing Tetsusaiga up above his head, and following through with all of it's momentum.  
  
Kouga dropped to the ground and quickly rolled to his left, tucking in his tail. He narrowly avoided the earth shaking blow, and kicked off the ground as the plateau shook under the weight of the blade.  
  
Inuyasha turned his head slowly, a grim smile on his face as he lifted the blade off the ground and went back to his defensive stance.  
  
Still slightly shaken up from his previous near death experience, and trying to quiet his booming 6th sense, Kouga lunged forward, igniting both fists as he traveled, touching the ground once before reaching his opponent. When his bandages feet touched the ground, he leaped higher in the air, gaining the height advantage, and pulled back his right arm for a right downward punch.  
  
Inuyasha crouched slightly lower, and shifted Tetsusaiga so that it faced straight up into the air. Kouga came down with incredible force and Inuyasha moved just enough to avoid the blow but still felt the resulting shockwave from the youki. Inuyasha quickly raised Tetsusaiga over his head with and brought it down on the wolf in a blur of iron light.  
  
Kouga edged to the left, and prepared his already ignited left hand to strike Inuyasha in the ribs, but in the process let down his guard.  
  
'Gotcha" Inuyasha thought to himself.  
  
He quickly shifted his hands on the blade, placing his right hand behind his left, and off-handed as it was, drug the sideways like that connecting nicely with Kouga's shoulder.  
  
Satisfied by the significant "thud" and shock as the flat end of Tetsusaiga finally made connection, a small smile crept along Inuyasha's face. He sung through with the blade sending Kouga flying off in a direction that he truly didn't care about. He watched in amusement as the wolven projectile continued it's path before he could manage to place his feet underneath his and skid to a stop.  
  
Kouga stood tall rubbing his right shoulder. "Hey, that's gonna leave a bruise"  
  
"That's not all that will" Inuyasha shouted before taking off, this time running along the ground rather than jumping. He pulled his left hand away from the hilt and carried it one handed, as he advanced toward his target.  
  
The hanyou rose the blade above his head with ease and swung down, anticipating Kouga's evasion. He read his opponent like a book, and once Kouga shifted slightly right of the blade, Inuyasha spun his entire body and brought his free hand across his body.  
  
Kouga's 6th sense (which had finally calmed down) blared loud again, but in the position he was in, there was really little escape. He ignited his hands again and embraced his only option: he stepped in to attack.  
  
'Too easy' Inuyasha thought to himself. In a quick movement, he drug his hand through the air as an awkward outer slash, leaving the familiar amber trail.  
  
Upon realizing the attack, Kouga stepped back what little he could, and watched as the claw made it's inevitable journey towards him. When the claw connected, a new sensation of pain like which he hadn't felt in a long time flooded his mind. The strike only cut his left bicep, merely scratching his breastplate, but that did not mean that the strike didn't hurt, and hurt it did.  
  
Ignoring the pain as well as he could, Kouga spun around and landed an ignited back-fist to Inuyasha's cheek, extending the distance between them.  
  
Inuyasha recovered in the air, and skid to a stop, about the same time that Kouga noticed that the four cuts on his arm had begun to bleed quite a bit. The amber residue was beginning to dissipate, but it still burned quite a bit.  
  
"Nasty attack you got there" Kouga jested, a smile once again on his face. The trail of blood advanced quickly down his arm until it hit the cloth protecting the whole of his left forearm.  
  
"I could say the same to you" Inuyasha replied, rubbing the his now red cheek.  
  
"I thought we agreed to stop holding back though" Kouga said, jaunting his opponent.  
  
"What makes you think I am?" Inuyasha said pseudo-innocently.  
  
"What about that thing you do with the sword, that one attack you used to kill the leader of the Bird's of Paradise?" Kouga prodded.  
  
"OH, you wanna see that then? I figured we weren't fighting to the death" Inuyasha said, he had been planning to save that move for a little later, but he had no problem using it now.  
  
"What, you don't think I can dodge it?" Kouga asked.  
  
"Well then," Inuyasha said, lifting Tetsusaiga high above his head with two hands "Let's see"  
  
Kouga's smile faded once again as he fell into a pouncing position. He had hoped that Inuyasha would be distracted enough by his own move to allow Kouga the opportunity to get close enough to end this, but the thought of facing that move still scared him quite a bit.  
  
Inuyasha took a moment to focus, it had been a while since he'd used the Kaze on Kizu without actually striking the wound itself, but then again, he didn't want to reveal all of his tricks just yet.  
  
When he finally located the wound he grinned, sending chills up Kouga's spine, and his 6th sense into uber-panic mode.  
  
The hanyou inhaled deeply. "Kaze no Kizu!" he shouted as he began the downswing.  
  
Kouga watched his enemy closely, and as soon as the swing began, he darted off to the right and preparing to charge in from the side as soon as he saw the golden spectral.  
  
Inuyasha watched in confusion as the wound moved slightly as Tetsusaiga continued down. He saw Kouga move, and figured he would continue the attack for the sake of it, but it never came. Tetsusaiga sliced through the air as the wound shifted just slightly, leaving Tetsusaiga to almost graze the edge.  
  
Tetsusaiga hit the ground with it's usual "thud", leaving a very confused Inuyasha. Kouga, who was going to use the flash as a cue, was also too stunned to attack. He landed softly, kind of confused, and as realization dawned on him, he tried desperately to hold back a fit of laughter.  
  
Inuyasha heard the wolf snickering, and in a fit of rage brought the sword back above his head quickly and smoothly. He turned a little to face Kouga again, and drug the sword down to the wound again.  
  
Kouga barely had time to react, but he dodged again, hoping that Inuyasha would spin his own trap right this time, but yet again, Inuyasha swung coldly through the air.  
  
Inuyasha looked again with disbelief. 'Why does that thing keep moving?' he asked himself before repeating the process all over again, and achieving the same results.  
  
Kouga was beginning to get inpatient as he dodged prematurely again and watched Inuyasha swing falsely yet again. He growled silently and thought maybe provoking Inuyasha would spark his memory.  
  
"What's the matter Muttface? Having a bit of trouble over there?" he mocked.  
  
Inuyasha growled in frustration, and attempted the Kaze No Kizu again. Kouga dodged, and Tetsusaiga fell uselessly again. This did not stop Inuyasha; however, because he simply continued to attempt the technique.  
  
After many futile attempts, Inuyasha finally just rose the blade in the air, and bluffed plotting to just charge Kouga while he was still in mid- air.  
  
He swung his body as if to attack, and Kouga dodged again, but before Inuyasha advanced, he noticed something: a small gust of wind, then it hit him.  
  
"Now I get it." He said.  
  
"Get what?" Kouga asked as he touched ground again.  
  
"You keep moving too much"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind"  
  
'Alright' Inuyasha thought to himself 'every time he anticipates my move he dodges so fast the resulting winds are moving the actual wound out of Tetsusaiga's way.' He brought the blade up again, and struck for the wound so as to distract Kouga while he thought. 'Well, it always moves in the direction he jumps so I could just swing across, but I think that he's hiding something or else he wouldn't be so enthusiastic about me using this move. I'll just wait awhile for now.'  
  
Like clockwork Inuyasha struck for the wound again, Kouga dodged, the wound moved, and Inuyasha missed.  
  
After repeating the cycle many times, something sparked Kouga's attention. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it was there. It was eerie, he could smell it faintly and almost feel it, but he didn't know where it was. It was something he hadn't noticed so far, but seemed so familiar, like he had felt it before, but never paid it any attention.  
  
He dodged again.  
  
I reminded him of when he passed by the shrine for the shikon-no-tama, he felt it in a way, even though he couldn't see it, but it wasn't the same feeling as the shikon emitted. He focused more attention on his sense of smell as he attempted to identify the presence, and the dodged again, now purely out of reflex, because his 6th sense had dulled to this threat a long time ago.  
  
After a moment, he finally located it, it was between himself and Inuyasha, dead in the center of them. After he found, for some reason he could feel it stronger, it was potent, pure energy just sitting in mid-air. He wasn't sure why, but it was there, he could smell it clearly now, and feel it's power. For a moment he forgot about the battle, and his 6th sense roared him to consciousness just in time to see Inuyasha strike right where the energy had been.  
  
His heart skipped a beat when he saw a trail of golden energy rush towards him, and he dodged quickly feeling the heat of the attack, landing a few feet away. His eyes were wide in shock, as he looked over at where the energy had been only moments before, his breathing was very erratic.  
  
'So that's the source of his power for that attack then' Kouga began to plot, and would have smirked if he had not been still in shock about what had just happened.  
  
"Happy now?" Inuyasha taunted.  
  
Kouga didn't answer, he merely re-gained his composure, spat on the ground and went back to pouncing position. The trail of energy had just dissipated, and served him a reminder of what could happen to him, but his fear was eased by the thought of what winning this fight could mean. It was definitely worth the risk.  
  
"Very well then" Inuyasha lifted Tetsusaiga above his head again. "If that's what you want, then fine."  
  
He struck down with the sword, Kouga jumped out of the way before Tetsusaiga hit the wound, and the Kaze No Kizu failed again; but this time, Kouga didn't just stop. He pushed his feet to the ground to interrupt his current path and launched his body towards Inuyasha changing courses completely.  
  
This caught Inuyasha a little off guard but he rose Tetsusaiga to a defensive stance with ease and prepared for his opponent's attack.  
  
Rather than igniting his fists, Kouga opened his hand as if to strike with the claws he hardly used. When he was still quite a while away from Inuyasha, he struck in the place where his nose had actually guided him.  
  
"Kaze no Kizu" Kouga imitated, though he was focused in order to find the strike, inside, the irony made him laugh.  
  
'What!?' Inuyasha thought to himself once he realized Kouga's intent 'he...couldn't...could he?'  
  
Kouga's hand slid through the air, and time seemed to slow down for both canines. As his hand neared the spot that he knew the energy was from, anticipation filled Kouga as the potency of the energy grew more and more evident.  
  
His hand slid cleanly through the wound, and his hand was encompassed by warmth, and vibrated quickly, the power made him shiver. But just as easily as it went in, it came out, and nothing happened.  
  
Kouga landed shortly afterwards, very confused, and very frozen. He stared down at his hand in disbelief.  
  
"What?"  
  
Inuyasha, snapped himself out of the shock and leaped high into the air.  
  
"Hey!" he shouted, grabbing Kouga's attention. "You trying to do this?"  
  
He rose Tetsusaiga above his head, and swung through another spot where their youki collided, causing a Kaze no Kizu straight downward, headed for the wolf.  
  
Kouga jumped back, still half shocked from what had just happened, hoping to dodge the attack; but he was mistaken. As soon as the trails of youki hit the ground, they bounced along it and headed straight for him in awkward and erratic paths.  
  
The spastic beasts of youki continued their advance, all coming toward him with both alarming speed, and unpredictable patterns. Kouga tried to guess where he should dodge, but every time he thought he had them all figured out, the pattern changed, and he was quickly running out of time.  
  
With no real way of knowing how to dodge the upgraded version of the attack, and it just about ready to reach him, he focused what he could and pushed his feet into the ground, stopping shortly, in an attempt to dodge them one-by-one.  
  
In an instant, the first piece came. Kouga shifted his body a little allowing it to pass as he waited for the next four. He moved his right leg lightning fast accuracy, shifting it enough to avoid the second piece. He dropped back his left shoulder almost on instinct as the next piece flew by, grazing his armor, but only enough to heat it up. The last two pieces came at him side by side, with enough room between them for him to squeeze tightly. He stepped forward, and finished turning his body to the left allowing both pieces to pass around him, but in the process he didn't tuck his left hand tightly enough and it was enveloped for and instant in the youki before Kouga could remove it.  
  
With the threat passed, Kouga calmed down a little and looked down at his hand. It was pretty badly burned, but he could still use it if he needed to. He shot a glare across the plateau to Inuyasha.  
  
"I'm not letting you use that again" he said coldly and angrily, the joy of the fight was long since gone, and now it was strictly business. ...even if I have to constantly run circles around you to keep you from striking whatever that thing is."  
  
Inuyasha could only smile, he knew that he wouldn't get Kouga with the Kaze no Kizu again...at least not using it that way.  
  
"If you like, you can try. Run yourself around as much as you like." Inuyasha said, he grasped Tetsusaiga with one hand and held it out to his right raising it slowly above his head. "Just remember that every dog learns a new trick once in a while, and I'm no exception."  
  
Without warning, fog-white rings started appearing around Tetsusaiga, starting from the hilt and running up to the tip of the blade, changing size in order to fit the curves of the fang-blade. Inuyasha brought the sword down hard to his right sending out five beams of energy towards a small tree. The beams collided with the tree, and it was no more. The explosion sent the winds whipping through both canine's hair, sending it quickly and violently off to the side.  
  
"See?"  
  
"Well it seems that dogs aren't the only canines to learn new tricks every once in a while then."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Just watch"  
  
Kouga inhaled quickly and sunk down to one knee, looking downward, and focusing his youki to every part of his body. He began to growl lowly when, and his frame shuddered as he drew all of his youki to him. After a few moments he had sufficiently gathered all he youki he needed and let the rest dissipate as normal. There was a dull flash of yellow light as a Kouga stood to his feet, outlined by a thick yellow line of youki.  
  
His perception, reflexes, speed, and strength had dramatically rose, and as Inuyasha tried to figure out what was going on, Kouga's focus was on one goal: Tetsusaiga.  
  
He began to run with no warning at all, every thing he saw was in slow motion yet he moved through it as if it were normal time.  
  
Inuyasha saw him coming, but had no time to react; in a fraction of the time it would have normally taken Kouga to reach Inuyasha, he was there. His shoulder was ducked down and rammed right into Inuyasha's ribs, the shock caused him to lose his breath. Kouga used this moment to seize hold of Tetsusaiga's hilt, he had planned to rip it from his hands and beat Inuyasha into submission; however, when he touched it, his entire hand went instantly numb. He ripped his arm away quickly and ignited his left hand, not wanting to waste the opportunity. The blood from his previous injury had finally soaked through the cloth, leaving it stained red, and the blood nearly covered his own hand. He uppercut Inuyasha, leaving a bloody fist print on the bottom of his chin, and sending him into the air.  
  
Inuyasha got up without too much trouble and began to massage his jaw.  
  
"Not bad, but if I'd have known you would have gotten faster, I wouldn't have been caught off guard." Inuyasha defended, doubting whether at this range he could effectively hit a target that fast with Tetsusaiga.  
  
'Darn it' Kouga thought, ignoring Inuyasha 'how am I gonna get that sword away, I don't have much time before this boost runs out, and I don't think I'll have time to make another lasting one.'  
  
As if on cue, a rather strong gust of wind blew through both fighters. It was refreshing, sending a draft in all the right places to relieve stress. But the most interesting thing is that the gust brought something to Kouga's attention. The sound of metal against metal could be heard, reminding him of the sword that he always carried with him.  
  
He reached over quickly and drew it. It felt odd to hold, he rarely ever used it, and he was normally better off without it, but he always kept it in case of emergency.  
  
'Here goes'  
  
Kouga took off like the wind, and Inuyasha was prepared. He brought Tetsusaiga above his head, not wasting time gathering energy for a woundless Kaze no Kizu, and brought the blade down, but it still wasn't fast enough. Kouga reached Inuyasha while Tetsusaiga was still in mid swing, leaving Inuyasha in a bit of a pickle.  
  
Kouga swiftly wedged his sword under the hilt of Tetsusaiga, and with both hands, tried to pry it from Inuyasha's hands. He stepped in and shoulder charged Inuyasha again, forcing the hanyou to loosen his grip, and once he felt it give, threw both swords off behind him, not caring where they landed.  
  
Inuyasha's eyes went wide at what just happened.  
  
'This is really bad' He then cursed inwardly.  
  
Kouga's boost ran dry now, but he was still in a good position. He ignited both hands, and fury punched the hanyou for a while, then uppercut him again sending him soaring through the air. Kouga jumped high into the air, following his rival, then landed heavily on Inuyasha's stomach.  
  
Inuyasha still couldn't speak, mostly out of fear of what was about to happen. 'He had better run away like always, maybe he'll get far enough so that I can keep enough control to not chase him.' His breathing got heavier. 'As soon as he realizes something is wrong he'll go' he convinced himself, then he remembered 'oh no...I promised him that I would help him win Lilian's heart if he won, it made him brave enough to even face the Kaze no Kizu, maybe it'll make him brave enough to face...'  
  
Kouga reached out and grabbed Inuyasha's neck with his right hand, and placed his ignited left hand out, ready to punch his rival if he didn't concede.  
  
"Hey Inuyasha" He mused, drunk with the wine of victory, he ignored the sudden approach of storm clouds. He was excited because he had finally beaten Inuyasha, and now he might even be able to court Lilian. "Ever got that feeling when you found out your rival was inadequate?"  
  
Inuyasha bowed his head as the last barriers fell apart. His bangs somehow fell over his eyes, masking the slow change. His body temperature slowly began to rise as his canine instincts began to run wild inside of him. His breathing became heavier and his body grew tense. The wind picked up and blew just on the verge of violently.  
  
Kouga's 6th sense had become deafening now, he was at the point where he had to force himself to stay there on his rival's chest. To him, he had won, he was not going to give up that easily, no matter what was happening to Inuyasha, Kouga was not planning on moving until Inuyasha acknowledged him as the victor. But it was getting a lot harder, and the sudden changes sent wave after wave of chills through his spine.  
  
For no apparent reason, the wind changed drastically, blowing in the complete opposite direction, very violently. The wind pushed the bangs off of Inuyasha's eyes to reveal the blood red one's of his transformed state. Inuyasha smiled devilishly, revealing much larger fangs, and purple tattoos just drew themselves on in front of Kouga's eyes.  
  
The eyes stared right through Kouga, making his heart stop. Fear as never before gripped him in ways he never thought possible. Without even meaning to, he jumped back, away from the possessed version of rival. He was so shocked he almost fell over when he landed, his courage toppled over like a sand castle under a bullies foot.  
  
Inuyasha sat up bending one leg so that he could lean on the knee, and allowing the other leg to lay flat across the ground.  
  
"Actually I have" he snickered, instilling even more fear into the shadow that was once his rival.  
  
And for the first time in a long time, Kouga actually felt like he was gonna die.  
  
Author: [shudder] Inuyasha is too creepy like that. I'm getting scared just writing about it. [Kouga] How do you think I feel? [Inuyasha] hehe. [Kouga]...meep.  
  
Anyway...GOD that was a long chapter. 10 full pages on Microsoft word. I'm sorry, I don't think that the next one will be so long. And I might change the rating back to PG-13, because it's really not as gory as I thought like my Legend of Dragoon fic. Anyway, let me know what you think. And tune in next time as Kouga goes up against an opponent that NO ONE should ever have to meet. 


	10. Dog Fight Pt III: A Monster Reborn

Author: ...uh.....hehe, sorry about the late update. Its just that I got episodes 1-77 of Naruto (my fav anime) in Japanese for my computer, and I've kinda been on an anime high for the past few days. But hey, now I have inspiration for any more battles involving a certain ninja...or well, kunoichi.  
  
BTW, I also finished reading this fanfic that was the most EVIL and yet one of the best written ones I've read. The plot was terrible because it was a Koug/Kagura pairing, but it was too well written to put down. [sigh]...guilty pleasure fanfic. If you care, it was called Scarlet by teresa.  
  
Chapter 10:  
  
The violent winds whipped through the sitting hanyou's hair, blowing his silver locks swiftly to the side. In the same direction, the grass of the plateau bowed low from the powerful change in youki. Inuyasha's eyes were the same bloody color as Kouga's arm, and his claws itched eagerly to be dyed the same color.  
  
Kouga's heart began to beat faster and faster as his fear continued to rise to heights that he couldn't recall ever having felt before. If his feet hadn't been too paralyzed with fear to move, he would have left by now, but he had a suspicion that it wouldn't help much. His breathing sped with his pulse and his entire body was quickly covered in sweat.  
  
Inuyasha snickered to himself through overly developed fangs at the fear that he had instilled into his opponent, he had not meant to go this far, but he was confident that Kouga could take at least a few hits. He slowly made his way to his feet, driven near ecstasy by the smell of Kouga's fear, snickering to himself again as Kouga's entire shivered once as another wave of fear racked his body.  
  
When he had finally stood to full stature, Kouga's head seemed to set on fire from the burning warnings in the back of his mind telling him to flee as soon as possible. Inuyasha turned his head slightly to spit while simultaneously cracking the claws on both hands by simply tensing them up.  
  
Without warning he was mobile, diving through the air at a speed that dwarfed even Kouga's. His claws were flexed and ready in an instant, but halfway through the air, Inuyasha's head suddenly twitched and he brought himself to a sudden stop. He fell to his knees blinking wildly, tearing from his right eye.  
  
Inuyasha: Ah, for the love of...[holds open eye to remove a large red contact].  
  
Phantom: ...what? CUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
[winds calm down and the sounds of shuffling feet can be heard]  
  
Kouga: [pulls himself together] huh?  
  
Inuyasha: [pulls out a small of eye drops and drips some into his eye] I think I might have gotten something in my eye.  
  
Kouga: [sigh] well that's what you get for doing all that crazy stuff with the winds and stuff.  
  
Inuyasha: [pulls out other contact] It scared the mess out of you  
  
Kouga: ...well, it would scare you too, I mean, how would you like it if you had a booming voice in the back of your head telling you to run whenever things got rough.  
  
Inuyasha: Feh [puts contacts away]  
  
Kouga: Which reminds me...[digs around in the back of his hair, under his bandana and pulls out a little walkie talkie] I hate this damn thing so much.  
  
Inuyasha: [snickering] Now that's great, special effects at their greatest.  
  
Kouga: Look who's talking Mr. Blood Red contacts and super winds [points to giant fans]  
  
Inuayasha: Whatever.  
  
Phantom: [gets up from director's chair, rubbing his temples with one hand, holding a script in the other] What's going on?  
  
Inuyasha: Got something under my contacts.  
  
Phantom: [getting a little irritated] I figured that much, but can you put them back in. My three readers will be angry if I don't finish this soon.  
  
Kouga: [standing behind Phantom and silently making faces at Inuyasha]  
  
Inuyasha: ...I'm gonna let these soak for a while.  
  
Phantom: THE'VE BEEN SOAKING THE WHOLE FIC SO FAR!!!  
  
Inuyasha: hehe...well they need to soak longer.  
  
Phantom: [fumes] Fine then. Break Everybody.  
  
Inuyasha: Thanks [gets up] I've been wanting one.  
  
Phantom: [grumbles] I've only been writing for about 15-20 minutes.  
  
Inuyasha: How long we have?  
  
Phantom: Dunno, I'll beckon when I need you.  
  
Inuyasha: Cool, by the way, where is...  
  
Kagome: What's going on everybody?  
  
Kouga: Hey Kagome  
  
Phantom: Hey, we're breaking  
  
Kagome: Okay.  
  
Inuyasha: [scowls at Phantom and Kouga] eyes off my woman. [quickly moves behind Kagome]  
  
Kagome: ...  
  
Kouga: Whatever. [Goes over to a chair marked "Kouga" and sits down, putting on sunglasses, three platinum chains, 15 assorted rings, gold teeth liners, and a red bandana. Starts blaring really loud Rap and Hip-hop music]  
  
Phantom: [sigh] I wonder what Rumiko Takahashi would think about his new hobby  
  
Kagome: [starts giggling as Inuyasha begins to tickle her] Inuyasha...[giggle]...stop...[giggle]...we need to...[giggle]...work...  
  
Inuyasha: [whispers into her ear] But we're on break, I figured we could...  
  
Kagome: [Looks up at him] Inuyasha...I'd love to...  
  
Inuyasha: [smiles proudly and prepares to pick Kagome up]  
  
Kagome: But I promised my friends I'd play D and D with them at my next break. Sorry  
  
Inuyasha: ...  
  
Kagome: [slips a dice into Inuyasha's hand, then smacks it causing him to drop it] You only rolled a 2 for your stamina check, it wouldn't have lasted long anyway.  
  
Inuyasha: ...  
  
Kagome: Bye [pecks a very stunned Inuyasha on the cheek, then goes over to sit with three people in black robes huddled around a pile of dice]  
  
Inuayasha: ...D...and...D?  
  
Kouga: [gets up and puts on a pair of jeans up to the bottom of his shorts, ties a belt on it, and grabs the crotch. Starts C-walking over to Inuyasha]  
  
Inuyasha: [now just confused] I thought you were a blood.  
  
Kouga: uh-huh  
  
Inuyasha: So why are you Crip walking?  
  
Kouga: ...uh.  
  
Inuyasha: uh-huh  
  
Kouga: Whatever. [looks over at Kagome] Hey, Inuyasha, isn't that yo bi'atch?  
  
Inuyasha: ...bi...atch? Kagome isn't a...bi'atch [begins to fume and grabs one of Kouga's chains]  
  
Kouga: Hold up. Chill dawg. Let go of the blang-blang. This stuff cost way too much for you to go wreckin it.  
  
Inuyasha: [grumbles to self]  
  
Kouga: Heh, what a person to choose for a mate.  
  
Inuyasha: Oh well, I suppose she's infinitely inferior to...  
  
Lilian: [dressed from head to toe in pikachu advertisement, and a little fake pikachu tail] Pika Pika?  
  
Inuyasha: ...her. [chuckles] I'm gonna go take the rest of this stuff off. Have fun, or should I say, pika piiiiiii pika? [walks away laughing, taking off the press on tattoos]  
  
Kouga: [growls to self] Hey girl [turns to Lilian] , whachyou doin?  
  
Lilian: (confused) pi...pika?  
  
Kouga: You know [strolls over to Lilian] I thought that maybe you and I could...you know...get to know each other better over the break.  
  
Lilian: (more confused, slightly annoyed) ...pi  
  
Kouga: I mean you know, I think we got some chemistry, maybe you could come over sometime, and we could make somethin explode...hehe you know what I mean?  
  
Lilian: (getting really agitated) pi...pika...chu chu chu...  
  
Kouga: [walks behind Lilian] Maybe I could even get a piece of this...[firmly and fully gropes her from behind]  
  
Lilian: (infuriated, flames in her eyes) piiiiiiiiii...[starts drawing luminous symbol in the air] kaaaaaaaaa.....  
  
Kouga: ...uh-oh  
  
Lilian: CHU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [fires Denko no Jutsu]  
  
Kouga: [dodges to the immediate right, however, the bolt hits one of the chains around his neck and he still gets fried.] ...call....me...  
  
Lilian: [sticks her nose up and swishes fake pikachu tail. Walks over to watch Kagome's game] ???  
  
Kagome: ...and he eats you. Well your dead, you know what to do.  
  
Cloaked Gamer: Yeah...I know [sigh] damn, it was just getting good too. [pulls out a dagger and stabs self in the stomach]  
  
Kagome: Alright [points to Gamer number 2] Alright, it's your character's turn...what do you do?  
  
Phantom: Alright everybody, breaks over. Kouga, get changed, Kagome, clean that up and wait for your next scene, and Inuyasha [looks over to see Inuyasha sitting in his chair with a portable CD player] HEY, GET OVER HERE.  
  
Inuyasha: [looks up at Phantom, hearing him, but not caring]  
  
Phantom: I know you can hear me, put the tattoos and contacts back on and get over here.  
  
Inuyasha: [still ignoring]  
  
Phantom: [fuming, but anger subsides as an evil smile creeps across his face] TURN OFF THAT POLKA AND GET OVER HERE NOW!!!  
  
Inuyasha: ...[jaw drops]  
  
All others: ...polka? ("Pika?" for Lilian)  
  
Phantom: [snickering evilly] ...oops, did I say that out loud?  
  
Inuyasha: [beams at Phantom, takes off head-set, blushing madly]  
  
Phantom: Now, we have to get this done. Places everyone. Lights [queue the sun], Camera [camera starts up], ACTION!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Author: Okay, I thought it would be funny to add in a random comedy chapter, I've always wanted to do a behind the scenes one shot, but never got around to it. NEway, tell me what you thought, and also if you think I should ever add another random chapter to break the thick air (after all the last two chapters have just been a gruelingly long and probably overly detailed fight scene). Promise though, next chapter is the continuation (and hopefully conclusion) of Dog Fight. 


	11. Dog Fight Pt III: A Monster Reborn Real

Author: Ouch, some of you think I have just ruined my story, oh well, sry to hear that. Let me know if you seriously want me to remove the chapter, if so I will do it. [sigh] I really enjoyed writing that too.  
  
Anyway, this is for real this time.  
  
Chapter 11 (aka serious Chapter 10):  
  
Kagome looked down at the freshly fixed bandage around Lilian's leg with the warm smile that she seemed to always carry when something good seemed to happen. For once in a few months, Inuyasha would not have to be up on the plateau alone, and she hoped that maybe, just maybe, he would take his mind off of the village long enough to relax.  
  
"There you go" she said sweetly "All done. These injuries are not too bad, they should heal up pretty quickly as long as you stay off it."  
  
Lilian was silent, a thousand things running through her head at once, most of them centered around her previous predicament, she had never been gone so long; they might not be too happy about it. She breathed a calming sigh and relaxed her head on the straw pillow she had been given.  
  
Without warning, Kagome's pulse beat twice strongly, sending a chill down her spine, and nearly setting Inuyasha's mark ablaze. It was the sound of Kagome's breath halting in her throat that caught Lilian's attention, causing the previously quiet kunoichi to perk up a bit.  
  
"Kagome" she asked, out of genuine concern "What's wrong?"  
  
The chills in Kagome's body were replaced with a rapid increase in body heat. She could feel quelled bloodlust and sadistic joy fighting for control, and she could feel the simple and animalistic desires that her mate now felt. His confidence, his simple joy, his eagerness to crush if not kill his opponent, she felt it all and then a single thought crossed her mind.  
  
'He's up there with...'  
  
Frantically she hobbled to her feet, a look of utter fear glazed over her face. She grabbed her bow and arrows from the wall near the door, not sure why she did, but not caring to stop now.  
  
"What's wrong?" an ignored voice.  
  
Just as Kagome made it to the door, she was met by a hefty woman with the same look on her face as Kagome, except she was carrying a child that was breathing very heavily. She looked down at the boy, and without needing a word understood: she had treated this boy before, it seemed he had relapsed.  
  
"Set him down over there" she said, trying to calm herself down.  
  
The woman did as she was told, and Kagome immediately began working on the sick child, saying a silent prayer for her good friend, and leaving a very annoyed kunoichi to sleep.  
  
'Please don't kill him Inuyasha' she thought, feeling a held back tear as she went back to the boy.  
  
===============================================================  
  
The violent winds whipped through the sitting hanyou's hair, blowing his silver locks swiftly to the side. In the same direction, the grass of the plateau bowed low from the powerful change in youki. Inuyasha's eyes were the same bloody color as Kouga's arm, and his claws itched eagerly to be dyed the same color.  
  
Kouga's heart began to beat faster and faster as his fear continued to rise to heights that he couldn't recall ever having felt before. If his feet hadn't been too paralyzed with fear to move, he would have left by now, but he had a suspicion that it wouldn't help much. His breathing sped with his pulse and his entire body was quickly covered in sweat.  
  
Inuyasha snickered to himself through overly developed fangs at the fear that he had instilled into his opponent, he had not meant to go this far, but he was confident that Kouga could take at least a few hits. He slowly made his way to his feet, driven near ecstasy by the smell of Kouga's fear, snickering to himself again as Kouga's entire body shivered once more as another wave of fear racked his body.  
  
When he had finally stood to full stature, Kouga's head seemed to set on fire from the burning warnings in the back of his mind telling him to flee as soon as possible. Inuyasha turned his head slightly to spit while simultaneously cracking the claws on both hands by simply tensing them up.  
  
"I'm surprised at you Kouga" he spat out, his tone burned at Kouga like a hot iron "Normally you run away when things get rough..."  
  
'Damn it, he's right' Kouga thought quickly to himself 'I have to get out of here'  
  
"...that girl must be something special to you" Inuyasha finished, almost laughing with the words.  
  
'...Lilian' Her name floated quickly across Kouga's mind, reminding him of why he was here, why he hadn't fled yet, and why he needed to fight. He cracked a snarl and shifted to a pouncing position, shaking off the fear that tried to overwhelm him.  
  
Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh coldly at Kouga's brave, yet futile eagerness to fight as his rival began to focus his youki around him once again for another speed boost. 'This woman must really mean something to him to make him fight even me at just the mention of her name.'  
  
Mockingly, Inuyasha dropped his guard, hanging his claws loosely, provoking his once rival to make a blind strike, of course of which Kouga happily obliged.  
  
As soon as Kouga's youki firmly surrounded him for another burst of speed, he took off straight for Inuyasha, leaving a pile and moving trail of dust in his wake. The while thing was but a sliver in time, taking place in the time it takes lightning to strike, but when the dust cleared around Inuyasha and Kouga, Kouga's hand was merely inches away from Inuyasha's, and firmly caught in the raging dog's hand.  
  
Surprise painted itself on Kouga's face, and joy on Inuyasha's. Not wanting to waste the moment, Kouga quickly struck out with his left hand aiming for Inuyasha's stomach, but that too was caught effortlessly by his opponent.  
  
Inuyasha pulled tight on both of Kouga's arms and fell backwards, kicking the wolf in the chest while falling to the ground, and launched him over his shoulder without caring where he landed. He sprung himself back to his feet without the use of his arms and turned his head to see Kouga skidding to a stop then charge again.  
  
It merely took a breath for Kouga to rebound and launch himself at Inuyasha's back, he kicked inwardly with the speed of the blink of an eye. When it came time for contact, his foot cut through a small cloud of dust that had taken Inuyasha's place. His eyes went wide for a moment just before the alarm in the back of his head went off signaling danger. He turned his head quickly to see Inuyasha half turned with his left arm across his body hiding a deadly smile that Kouga could almost feel.  
  
Kouga didn't see the blow come, all he felt was a quick pain across his face, then the breeze as he tumbled away before re-grounding himself. He looked back to see Inuyasha slouched over, his possessed bangs covering his eyes, and he heard the most sinister chuckling he had ever heard.  
  
He wiped the new trail of blood from his lip off on his right wrist band, and braced himself for another assault.  
  
"I wonder how it tastes exactly" Inuyasha called out. He lifted his head to show his red eyes. "Your blood I mean"  
  
Kouga was taken aback, but he refused to back down. Taking a deep breath, he charged once more, striking with his right fist.  
  
"Hmph" Inuyasha muttered, prepared as always. He waited for Kouga to approach then easily shadow side stepped, letting his bangs fall over his eyes again. He knew what Kouga's next few attacks would be without even looking just because by now the wolf was clouded by fear and anger. He continued to shadow dodge left and right, avoiding a series of countless punches, and the occasional kick.  
  
After a while, he dodged to the right, just evading a left jab when the smell of Kouga's blood from his previous wound hit his nose, and his curiosity got the better of him. In one fluid movement, he stepped towards Kouga on the outside of the punch and bit down hard on Kouga's forearm.  
  
His teeth sank down to where he could feel the bone under his canines, and his tongue quickly took a few samples, normally this kind of attack was beyond what he would consider to do, but he was having as much fun torturing Kouga's mind as his body.  
  
Kouga screamed a bit and tore his arm away, leaving a nicely sized gash in the lower part of his forearm. He jumped back and skid along the ground, crouched over with his left hand scraping the dirt and his right clenching the new wound on his left. He looked up at the scowling hanyou who had now begun wiping the fresh blood off onto his hands then licking them clean.  
  
'Hm' Inuyasha thought to himself 'it's been a while since I've done this, heh. Even I'm surprised I have this much control' He looked down at his now clean claws, with a grim smirk on his face, 'not everyone who's seen me like this has been lucky enough to walk away.'  
  
The seemingly random smile on Inuyasha's face only did more to shatter Kouga's confidence.  
  
'Damn!' he thought to himself 'who is this? This can't be Inuyasha, he may have been strong and a little vicious, but, this is completely different. His confidence, his mood, he has no fear, no obnoxious overconfidence, as if he's acting on almost impulse alone. This can't be the same hanyou that I stood toe-to-toe with only a moment ago...' Kouga staggered to his feet, his speed boost depleted '...he doesn't even smell like the same mutt. If I didn't see him change before my very eyes...' he crouched to an attacking position, but further from the ground to avoid unnecessary strain on his tired legs, and his left arm less tense than his right. '...I wouldn't believe it was the same person'  
  
'Nonetheless...' Kouga's feet shifted on the loosened dirt 'I can't afford to lose' He kicked off the ground towards Inuyasha with his right arm blazing with energy, and his left arm twitching aimlessly for the use of quick parrying only. The moment of peace he felt in mid-air was very calming, the wind whipped over his aching body, temporarily relieving the pains of having used his youki to boost his speed twice without allowing it to slow down for a few minutes in between.  
  
After the moment it took to reach Inuyasha, Kouga swung hard, not holding back for fear of being left open, because he was too weary to care. Inuyasha pulled back just far enough so that the extra youki left his face a bit red from the heat, without actually touching him; but he did not move in to counter-attack.  
  
Kouga continued the likely motion and swung around with his left leg, igniting it just before the attempted impact time, but Inuyasha once again stepped back, this time far enough so that he only felt the wind of the kick. The momentum faded from Kouga's attack and he fell short of breath on one knee just short of Inuyasha just pushing off with his good hand and both legs for a jumping axe kick with an ignited right heel aimed at Inuyasha's chin.  
  
Inuyasha arched back effortlessly, and watched as the glowing heel plummeted back towards him hoping for a second chance. Inuyasha merely sidestepped around and spun around Kouga, letting his back touch his opponent's and feeling the labored breath through the armor.  
  
"Feh"  
  
Enraged at the agile silver-haired hanyou, Kouga clenched his battered left hand and backfisted with all the strength he could get out of it, ignoring the reactionary twitch his body offered in return.  
  
Inuyasha quickly turned and ducked under Kouga's attack, then let Kouga see the fierce smile at the opening he had created. He quickly gauged his power and aim, setting it for "recoverable injury", and clawed upwards jumping straight into the air.  
  
To Inuyasha, it felt as if there was almost no resistance as he sent blood covered chunks of Kouga's armor into the air, while lifting the now dazed warrior clear off his feet.  
  
Pain enveloped all of Kouga's senses at this point, leaving him almost unable to do anything but try frivolously to push air from his lungs to scream. His time in the air was short, as was Inuyasha's, and the backs of his shoulders were the first to touch the ground, followed shortly by the rest of his body as he skid to a stop face up.  
  
'Damnit' he thought to himself, his torso twitching involuntarily as the injured muscles were forced into action. 'how did he become so strong all of a sudden? Everything about him has completely changed' he turned himself over, supporting himself on his palms and knees. 'This doesn't make any sense, it doesn't even seem like him. I have never seen him this vicious before or nearly as strong, not even when I had kidnapped Kagome.'  
  
Kouga forced himself up on his badly twitching legs, breathing heavily. 'It doesn't even smell like him, I can hardly even smell the human blood in him, he doesn't even smell much like a dog anymore.' Kouga turned to Inuyasha and brought his hands up to guard, dropping into a lazier and less stressing pouncing stance. 'Who is this monster?'  
  
Kouga leaped forward, clinging desperately to hope, pulling back his arm without upsetting his torso, and prepared to punch at Inuyasha.  
  
'Well it's nice to see that I didn't hit him too hard' Inuyasha smirked 'lets see how much more he can take'  
  
Inuyasha darted forward, causing a small whiplash of wind from where he stood and grabbed Kouga by the throat with one hand, stopping the wolf in his tracks and hoisting him up into the air. He absorbed the looks of terror that Kouga gave him with a dark smile on his primal face.  
  
Kouga struggled against the grip to no avail, pulling at Inuyasha's arm, and kicking at him with his legs, all the while Inuyasha just continued to smile.  
  
"Hm. This woman must be special to you to make you fight me. Maybe I should spare her the trouble of dealing with a weak mate and just kill her now."  
  
Horror suddenly engulfed Kouga, physically and emotionally.  
  
'Now let's see what your truly capable of...'  
  
Inuyasha threw Kouga a few yards, but to his surprise, Kouga did not skid to a stop on his back, but landed on his feet, crouched very low to the ground, dragging one hand in the dirt.  
  
Kouga looked up at Inuyasha with unexplained hatred and anger in his eyes. His youki began to flare up and made the winds violently change again. The golden aura surrounded him, giving him renewed strength and valor, as he quickly focused what he could around his body.  
  
"Don't you touch her!" Kouga's voice grew louder as the statement carried on, eventually shaking from the anger. As the last words made their way out, he took off faster than he had been moving even at his prime of the fight.  
  
Inuyasha looked on with interested eyes, he stood his ground not intending to move this time.  
  
'Let's see what you got'  
  
Both of Kouga's hand lit up brighter than ever as he reached Inuyasha, ignoring the pains of either of them, he was upon Inuyasha so fast that very few youki would have time to react.  
  
"Die!" Kouga shouted as he hammered down with the first strike, making contact for the first time since the transformation, but not nearly satisfied yet. He continued to bombard Inuyasha with attacks from all directions, burning through his remaining youki in his powerful rage, all the while Inuyasha bowed his head, leaving the same grim smile on his face.  
  
The last attack of the flurry was huge, Kouga ignited whatever he could muster in the time he had for the drawback and let loose and punch that exploded sending both warriors back a measurable distance, and sending dust everywhere.  
  
Kouga panting heavily, back in his low position, touching the ground lightly with his hand as his youki died down with his rage.  
  
"I got him" he said, breaking between the words to draw a breath.  
  
Kouga was horrified to see that when the dust cleared, Inuyasha was still just standing. He had skid a considerable distance, but he was still standing, his head bowed low, bangs covering his eyes, and that same frightening smile with a small trickle of blood running from his mouth.  
  
'This...this is impossible! There is no way I can beat him now, not a chance. I need to get out of here for now, come back later and fight him when he's calm again, I'll just beat him before he changes' Kouga panicked.  
  
He scrambled to his feet and clumsily turned aiming to run off, powering himself through sheer force of will and fear. He had barely gotten a few feet when his 6th sense went off again and he heard a familiar voice.  
  
"We can't have that now, can we?"  
  
Inuyasha gauged himself again, taking aim at Kouga's calves and sliced into the muscles, through the thin fur hide leg bracers. Kouga's legs buckled and he fell to the ground, he turned over quickly, ignoring the fact that he just exposed the new wounds to the dirt.  
  
Kouga scampered up with much more difficulty and turned again to run, knowing it was pointless, but not sure what else to do. All his nerves were a wreck, he had to find another way, for now at least he could try to make his way to the village and confront Inuyasha again if need be, but fighting him now was pointless.  
  
Instead of slashing at his already injured legs, Inuyasha decided simply to shadow sprint next to Kouga, and delivered a solid punch to the face, sending the wolf flying towards one of the many edges of the plateau.  
  
Kouga's vision had dulled long before now along with his 6th sense, he had also pretty much given up all hope of surviving because he couldn't run, and it was only a matter of time before Inuyasha finished toying with him. He saw the cliff coming quickly, and a small smirk went across his face.  
  
'I never imagined it would be him of all people to kill me'  
  
No sooner had he thought those words, than images from his past presented themselves in his mind. Most of them were random events, like minor victories, good times with friends, funerals for comrades, raids, and other such random events. A few of them reinforced the smile on Kouga's face, bringing back cherished memories of past times, but moments of the past and unchangeable.  
  
As the images progressed, more important memories came to the surface, his emergence as tribe leader, meeting Trent, the greater wars he had fought, Kagome, and the first time he met Inuyasha. These were a lot more important to him, yet, it even though they were actually quite important, they seemed to be pointless.  
  
The images continued and Kouga began to become less and less satisfied with his life in the past, angry that very little of it had actual meaning and he was proud of, and the smile on his face disappeared.  
  
It wasn't until the last image, the image of Lilian appeared in his head that he finally got sick of it and slide show ended.  
  
'What a waste. Out of all that, I didn't really do anything to enjoy my life for myself. It's kinda sad I guess, I've lived the life span of generations of humans put together, but I'm not happy with any of it. Is this what it means to die? To be discontent with what you did in life? I could have done so much more, I know it...but how? What could I have done differently, what could I have changed? Maybe it's a good thing I'm going to die now, Inuyasha was right, I'd make a weak mate anyway. I won't have to bother her anymore, then she can be happy...But why do I feel that's not enough? I need to know, if it is possible for her to fall in love with me, and to see if that gives any purpose to my existence...I must...I can't die now.'  
  
With that Kouga got an idea, he focused his attention away from the gain and shook himself to consciousness. He turned his legs to touch the ground, then propelled himself off of the edge of the cliff.  
  
"Oh no you don't"  
  
Inuyasha took off after Kouga, jumping off the cliff afterwards, planning to knock him back on the cliff and watch him squirm some more before finally stopping. He closed the distance in mid-air between him and Kouga, and right as he was about to attack Kouga in a manner that he had not yet decided, he noticed a sudden smirk on Kouga's face.  
  
As soon as Inuyasha was in distance, Kouga maneuvered himself in the air, and placed his feet on Inuyasha's torso, and grabbing the fire-rats cloak. He threw all of his weight to one side, causing them both to spin, and once they had made one half turn, he kicked off of Inuyasha, propelling himself to the cliff and Inuyasha to the ground far below.  
  
Kouga couldn't make out exactly what Inuyasha said, but he didn't care. His feet touched the plateau and he stumbled immediately to the ground, thoroughly exhausted. He took a moment to simply breath the fresh air and collect what he could, he wasn't done yet, he had to go find Inuyasha and declare himself the winner before Inuyasha recovered from the fall.  
  
With much patience, time, and effort, Kouga made his way to his feet, but the exhaustion had claimed all 6 of his senses save his sight, and even that was leaving him, but nonetheless, he couldn't quit now.  
  
He turned slowly around to find the trail down the plateau, when he found himself face to face with none other than Inuyasha himself, still creepy as he had just been.  
  
"Boo" he said unenthusiastically.  
  
Kouga was too numb. FAR too numb to react, so instead he just fell back on his back, he was spent in every way, he shut his eyes and focused on sound, planning to enjoy his last few seconds, and the inevitable blow that he had tried so hard to avoid.  
  
But it never came.  
  
Kouga heard Inuyasha's foot steps walk away, stop and then the sound of metal scraping against metal. The foot steps approached again and he heard the same sound again, only this time, paired with the jolt from his sheath against his side.  
  
Inuyasha hoisted Kouga up over one shoulder, ignoring the blood. Kouga didn't know what form Inuyasha was in, because he couldn't open his eyes anymore, and his sense of smell was numb, so he feared so the worse and his heart began to speed up a little.  
  
"Don't worry" came Inuyasha's normal and very relieving voice "we're through now. I'm gonna take you to see Kagome and she'll fix you right up."  
  
Kouga's heart slowed to a normal pulse again.  
  
"I never planned to go that far you know. But I guess it's a good thing though, I'm not exactly sure what I did to make Kagome fall in love with me, all I know is that I just fell in love with her for no apparent reason"  
  
Kouga's heart almost skipped a beat, then began to beat faster and faster as his anger grew while his body was still completely paralyzed.  
  
"Feh. Oh well though, may as well ask Kagome though, you'll probably be in that hut for a long time."  
  
If Kouga could have struck Inuyasha, he would have, if he could have yelled at him, he would have, if he could have even growled, he would have; but he couldn't so he settled for passing out instead. 


	12. Forbidden Lovers

Send to phantomgamer01yahoo.com  
  
Author: Heh, I'm actually starting this the day after I posted the last one, but I don't know how reliable it will be before I finish it as I am doing it on a friend's laptop and I'm planning on having him send it to me so I can do this at school. Goodness he's lucky though; this is a nice computer...even though it's a Mac. Macs rock. I wish I had one.  
  
Anyway, [sob] no reviews so far, this vexes me. Oh well, at least I finally finished that fight, that took FOREVER.  
  
Chapter 12:  
  
'It's a good thing this cloak is already red' thought Inuyasha, he was just entering the outskirts of the village, still carrying Kouga on his shoulder, the bleeding had slowed he could tell, but his outfit smelled strongly of his rival, and he figured he would be at the lake washing it for the rest of the day. 'I hope she still had some of the detergent from her time, otherwise I might be out there until my next shift.'  
  
Inuyasha passed quickly by the first few houses, attracting a bit of a crowd around, eager to see what they assumed was the carcass of another youkai that tried to get the shikon, but ran into Inuyasha first. Some of them that had seen Kouga before when he had first come through again didn't seem as surprised as everyone else; but of course, Inuyasha was oblivious to all this.  
  
After quickly assuring the curious eyes that there was no problem and that they just needed to go home, Inuyasha continued onward towards Kagome's hut, silently thankful again that his cloak was red and easy to hide the blood. He navigated the streets of the quaint little village until he was outside of the miko's hut near the shrine, a little disappointed because Kouga's blood was the only thing he could smell, and it had been quite a while since he had allowed himself to just stand in the midst of her scent and breathe.  
  
He was about to walk in the door when an elderly woman backed out the bowing repeatedly offering thanks and blessings to Kagome, while at the same time ushering out her son whom Inuyasha assumed had just been treated. She made her way out, bowing the whole time, then turned to leave, spotting Inuyasha.  
  
"Oh" she said a bit surprised "hello Inuyasha, it's been a while since I've last seen you out this early, normally your only about during the late hours of the night."  
  
"I've just been doing some training outside the village during the day" Inuyasha lied, the entire village did not need to know of his unfortunate situation.  
  
"Oh" she smiled, oblivious "well you may want to consider spending a little bit more time with Kagome, if there's anything I know, it's that a husband and wife...well, a mated pair, should spend plenty of time together. The shikon is important, and it's a good thing to make sure that it, and the village stay safe, but remember, you have a wife...well mate, too."  
  
"Oh" Inuyasha said, trying to cover his anger that this woman was viscously pouring salt on his wounds. "I'll keep that in mind"  
  
With that, the woman said her goodbyes and left, and Inuyasha dropped his smile.  
  
"Try telling that to her" Inuyasha said under his breath, referring to Kagome.  
  
He felt Kouga's heart speed up a little at this comment.  
  
"I see your conscious again"  
  
The pulse thickened for a second then calmed down, Inuyasha assumed that he was still mad about the whole brutal wooping he had just given his rival.  
  
"Are you coming in Inuyasha?" Kagome asked from inside, the mark told her he was near he knew. "Or are you just going to sit out there at let him bleed to death?"  
  
This trial had really been working on both their nerves, neither were ever in a good mood when around each other, the stress had been hard on their relationship. Maybe it was an automatic mechanism they had set up unconsciously to make it easier to focus on the shikon more than each other. They knew that they were still both very much in love, and even though their time spent had an air of agitation in it, they both were constantly thinking about what they would be doing the day Miroku got back...and maybe a few days after too.  
  
Inuyasha walked into the hut, and navigated his way to the room where most patients ended up. He saw Kagome sitting above another woman that was lying on a bed with bandages wrapping around one of legs. The light shined through the window, covering Kagome in radiance, making Inuyasha mentally curse the shikon...again. He was in a bit of awe, looking down on her, his resolve weakening with each passing second, he wanted her, she wanted him, but they both had a higher calling.  
  
"Where should I put him?"  
  
"Over there, right next to her" she pointed to an empty bed next to the lavender haired woman.  
  
Inuyasha lightly placed Kouga on the bed, noting the slight increase in temperature and pulse, he figured that if Kouga had any spare blood to use, he would be blushing radiantly about now. He smirked to himself at Kouga's expense and took a second to look over Lilian, he could understand why Kouga wanted her, at least on a physical level. To him, her beauty paled in comparison to that of his mate, but he could still acknowledge that she was much fairer that most humans.  
  
"So this must be her"  
  
"Who Lilian?"  
  
"Yeah" Inuyasha looked up to Kagome with a solemn look on his face. He wanted her bad, but they both knew they couldn't. "Do you think she's sleeping?"  
  
"She should be, I gave her some herbs to help her rest, her wounds are pretty minor, so all she needs is a good rest. Why?"  
  
"Well, I think Kouga is infatuated with her."  
  
"Why do you think that?"  
  
"Well he told me that there was a human woman that he was having feelings for, and he asked me to if I could tell him how I got you to fall in love with me so he could do the same for her."  
  
Kagome giggled a little "If it was only that simple."  
  
"To him it is. Youkai are a bit more material when it comes to choosing mates, I think this is a little more that material lust for him, that's why I thought I'd help him"  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome had both settled down considerably, and it was nice to be able to talk again. They still had a longing feeling to be together, but the chat made things much more bearable.  
  
Kagome was definitely interested now, before she had been paying a little more than half attention, while looking over Inuyasha's body and cursing the shikon...again.  
  
"What did you tell him?" she uselessly tried to hide her curiosity.  
  
"Well" he laughed to himself "I kinda made a wager, that if he could beat me in a fight, then I'd tell him, if not, then he could just keep trying until he won"  
  
Kagome's expression changed to disbelief.  
  
"I figured I could get a good fight out of him"  
  
"You transformed, and nearly beat him to death, over some information, about falling in love?"  
  
"Hehe"  
  
Kagome smiled. "Your hopelessly addicted to fighting you know.  
  
Inuyasha smiled back "Yeah"  
  
"So what happened, did you slash him in the back when he tried to run after you transformed?"  
  
"Well kinda, but it wasn't right after I transformed"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well at first, it seemed like he wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't move"  
  
"Uh-huh"  
  
"But then, he gathered up his courage, and attacked me."  
  
"What?" Kagome was caught off guard, the thought of Kouga facing an enemy like Inuyasha's transformed self seemed was not something she ever expected to see, or hear about"  
  
"Yeah, he just up and attacked me. I played with him a little bit, toying with him and making him look like a fool, because I was just having fun. It's been a while since I've fought like that, and I'm surprised, I haven't lost any of my control. After batting him around a little bit, I lied to him and told him that I'd...well...do something really messed up, I can't remember exactly..."  
  
"...what did you say?"  
  
"I don't remember"  
  
"Spill it"  
  
"...uh"  
  
"Come on" she crawled over next to him and started playing gently with his ears.  
  
Inuyasha clasped her hand gently and looked into her eyes. "I hate it when you do that"  
  
Kagome giggled a little bit, it was nice to know that some things between them hadn't changed...she cursed Miroku and Sango for leaving.  
  
"...I kinda told him that I'd kill Lilian, but I was only joking" he added defensively. "I wanted to see if I could get anymore fight out of him"  
  
Kagome sighed, he truly was still a kid at heart. She scooted into his lap and rested against his chest unknowingly pressing against the non-bloody part, she knew that the thin line of her resolve could only take so much, but she needed to just be close to him.  
  
"So what happened then?"  
  
"He got mad and attacked again, this time much fiercer than before. I actually let him hit me then, and I'll admit, that it actually kinda hurt."  
  
"Wow"  
  
"Yeah, that's why I think we should help him out. If just the thought of her could convince him to continue to fight"  
  
He paused and looked down at Kagome. She turned her head and their gazes met, a moment of silence followed shortly after. He reached over to her left hand and held it with his palm letting their marks touch and vibrate warmly against each other.  
  
"...then she must be really special to him" Kagome finished.  
  
Inuyasha leaned in, his mouth puckered slightly, quivering, hoping against hope that Kagome wouldn't stop them now. His eyes squinted a bit to he could see her reaction, he was not denied. Kagome held her head back and braced her lips to receive, shutting her eyes, and ceasing to breathe. Contact was made and Inuyasha's tongue slowly entered her mouth, causing everything around them to fade from existence. Their tongues danced for what would seem a few moments to anyone watching, but blissful eternity to them.  
  
They broke the kiss slowly, eyes still shut. Inuyasha used his free hand to brush aside her hair.  
  
"So then, is that a yes?"  
  
Kagome thought for a moment about the proposition.  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Good" Inuyasha sighed a little, some relief lifted off of his shoulders, he was with his mate and things could hardly get better. "You know, Lilian's out like a light, and if Kouga's still conscious he won't be able to move for a while. We have some time to ourselves and I think that everybody in the village should be for at least an hour..."  
  
Kagome knew where this was going, and as much as it pained her to do it, she knew she had to stop them. She kissed him quickly and stood up, breaking free from his grasp and ignoring his whines. "You know we can't Inuyasha"  
  
"Well, at least I tried"  
  
"I know, and it was a valiant effort, but we have things we have to do. Don't worry though, Miroku and Sango should be back soon, then I promise, I'm all yours"  
  
Inuyasha sighed in disappointment. He got up slowly. "Then if that's the case...do you have any of that detergent stuff?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Not all of the red on my cloak is dye right now"  
  
"Oh...I didn't..."  
  
"No, none of it's on you"  
  
"Good"  
  
Inuyasha chuckled to himself. "So do you have any?"  
  
"Yeah, it's in my backpack at the house."  
  
"Alright, then I guess I'll get going."  
  
Inuyasha walked over to the door to the room, then without looking back, addressed Kagome.  
  
"If you want, I can relieve you early today."  
  
"No...it's okay"  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah"  
  
"Then I guess I'll be back tonight then. I'll be at the lake for a while, then I'll go back the plateau I guess" The cheeriness in his voice dissipated along with the comfort of the area.  
  
"Alright" hers was gone as well.  
  
"Kagome..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I love you"  
  
"I love you too"  
  
With that, Inuyasha lightly stepped out of the hut, muttered incoherently under his breath. He stepped outside, and the sun shined on him, attempting and failing to lift the darkness of his mood. A familiar scent caught his attention, and Inuyasha looked over to see the same woman from earlier walking by. She turned to him, without straying from her path.  
  
"You take a moment to tell her that you love her?"  
  
Inuyasha forced a smile again, it was a little bit easier this time.  
  
"Yeah, I did"  
  
"Good"  
  
She continued walking until she walked right out of sight. Inuyasha took the moment to head towards the house he had shared with Kagome.  
  
Kagome watched him go through the window, a tear in her eye. Her desire for him physically wasn't nearly as intense as his was for her, but it still tore her up to no end to send him away like that.  
  
She turned back towards the unconscious pair that she was planning on setting up, still crying silently. She walked over and kneeled down between the beds, looking down at Kouga's battered form.  
  
Her crying got worse and worse with each passing second while thoughts of her beloved hacked at her heart.  
  
"I hope that you never have to experience this Kouga" she said silently, mostly to herself. "I hope that you can truly be happy with her, or whoever your destined to be with, without boundaries of any kind."  
  
She was crying so hard she hardly heard Kouga's nearly inaudible, battered voice.  
  
"Kagome" he strained. "I'm sorry"  
  
It comforted Kagome to no end knowing that she had a friend around.  
  
"Thank you"  
  
She dried her tears with the outer shirt on her miko kimono. Then, after taking a moment to compose herself began peel away at the tattered battle armor.  
  
"Hold still" a bit of brightness in her voice, and a small smile on her face. "I'll have to fixed up in no time." 


	13. Give Them A Chance

Author: Screw the note  
  
Chapter 13:  
  
His body hurt all over, some of the wounds he remembered, but some he could. He wasn't sure what exactly happened to him, he had a vague memory of it, but that didn't matter. Right now, he was surrounded in darkness, all of his senses enveloped, leaving him with nothing other than the pain of his wounds; but nothing else...no floor...no moving air...nothing. Just nothing.  
  
He was in complete darkness, he wasn't sure where he was, not sure if even his own hands and legs were with him, but he hoped they were, because living would kind of suck without them.  
  
He made an attempt at opening his eyes, but there was no change, he wasn't even sure his eyes had made a change, it they were even there. He figured he was sweating, but couldn't tell if he was.  
  
He went to open his mouth to scream, but there was silence.  
  
He started to collect himself.  
  
Darkness...  
  
Darkness...  
  
Darkness...  
  
Bright red eyes suddenly appeared.  
  
(Author: yeah I know...lame dream sequence)  
  
Kouga awoke startled and shaking as he quickly sat fully upright, knocking Kagome a bit off her balance. Immediately he wished that he hadn't as his body still hurt all over, but much worse than in the dream. His pupils shrank at the sharp pain, and he quickly looked around the room while breathing very heavily. He began to panic, trying to collect what happened as the blurs gathered together.  
  
He felt two soft hands push gently against his chest, slightly registering the fact that his armor was no longer there. He turned to his side to see Kagome's face, red a puffed from crying, and his panic began to recede. His pupils returned to their normal size as he slackened his body and was guided back to his back.  
  
"You need to rest."  
  
Kouga looked up, his muscles no longer screamed at him for sitting up as such, but they were still quite sore.  
  
"Where is..."  
  
"Don't worry about Inuyasha for now. Just focus on getting better"  
  
"But..."  
  
"Lilian is still here too, she is fine. Just rest for now."  
  
He felt a hand over his eyes as she shut his eyes for him.  
  
He didn't fall asleep, but he let his other senses come into focus, no longer using his little awareness on his sight. His sense of smell was the first to return, he could smell Kagome, Inuyasha, plenty of blood, herbs, and various remedies. After another moment, Lilian's scent filled her nose, and any left anxiety melted straight off of him. His body relaxed, and he could feel Kagome checking his wounds, finishing her assessment.  
  
After the hands receded, he heard two things. First, there was the sound of bandages being prepared. The second, was the sound of stirring and a slight groan, coming from the only other person who's scent was strong enough to still be in the room.  
  
'Lilian' he thought  
  
Kouga froze completely, giving off the impression that he was asleep to both parties.  
  
Kagome sighed in relief, thinking that it should be easier for her to bandage him with him asleep, because there was one garment that she had not removed yet to check, and she was in no hurry to remove it to check the region. This way she wouldn't have to deal with Kouga getting antsy about her removing his shorts, it was going to be embarrassing enough already.  
  
She was about to go about applying the bandages to his left arm, washing away the blood and cleaning out the wound before using some ointment, when she heard a groan from behind her. She didn't bother turning around, she knew that Lilian was well past stable, she had merely given her sleeping herbs to make sure she rested.  
  
"How did you sleep?"  
  
"...eh..." she continued to groan, groggily waking up.  
  
Kagome quickly finished up with preparing to bandage Kouga's arm.  
  
"Hey..."  
  
"You sleep well?" Kagome repeated.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." Lilian paused, looking over to see Kouga's "sleeping" form by the miko.  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
"He and my husband had a little tussle for old times sake I guess."  
  
Lilian sat up and repositioned herself to get a better view of the wolf.  
  
"A little tussle?"  
  
"Yeah, wouldn't believe they were anything close to friends would ya?"  
  
"Never. Oh well, serves him right."  
  
Kouga heart sank a bit but he remained motionless.  
  
Kagome's hands stopped for an instant, surprised at the kunoichi's cruel tone.  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"He's a youkai, he deserves whatever he gets." She said, managing to sound even crueler.  
  
Kagome sighed 'We have our work cut out for us don't we Inuyasha?'  
  
"He's still a living creature, he breathes, bleeds, and feels. He fears, hates, admires..." Kagome stopped, she was about to stay 'love', but she stopped, not sure if she wanted to mention the word yet, afraid to ruin her plans too soon.  
  
"Maybe so, but he's still a monster."  
  
Kouga and Kagome caught the breath in their lungs at the same time.  
  
Kagome stood up slowly, keeping her back to Lilian. She walked over to the window, sticking out her head to breathe a breath of fresh air, fiddling with her bow in one of her hands.  
  
She gathered herself together to talk. She still felt like she owed Kouga for making the completion of the shikon easier, if this woman was the one he wanted, she would do her best to help him get her, it wouldn't help much if she started scream at the kunoichi.  
  
Lilian slid over across the floor to Kouga's body.  
  
"How could you say that he's a monster?"  
  
"It makes it that much easier to kill him, and those like him" no remorse in her voice.  
  
Kagome heard a blade draw and quickly turned to see Lilian leaning over Kouga with a blade risen over her head. Her ruby eyes paled with indifference. The reaction was quicker than Kagome herself had anticipated. The bow she had been fiddling with, was suddenly in her hand, with an arrow drawn with speed that would make even the greatest archers complement her ability.  
  
Lilian heard the string stretch and stopped where she was.  
  
"You would defend him?" curiousity in her voice.  
  
"Yes, he is a friend of mine. I am also responsible to make sure that no such crime is committed in this village."  
  
"Then turn your head and shut your ears. This is my bounty and I plan to eat when I get home."  
  
"I'm sorry about your situation, but you will not harm him, especially when he can't fight back. What kind of honor is that?"  
  
Lilian sighed heavily and sheathed her blade, slowly and quietly.  
  
"I will honor the laws for this village then. But I must ask, why would you befriend a youkai?"  
  
Kagome set down her bow and went over the confiscate the kunoichi's weapons...something she should have done before.  
  
"Because, he has shown that he is a loyal friend"  
  
"You trust him far too much. He is a beast...a wolf...no more."  
  
"Your wrong, very wrong. He is much more than that."  
  
"How would you know?"  
  
"How would you know otherwise?"  
  
Lilian stopped for a moment then went back to her bed.  
  
"It seems as though you almost love him"  
  
Kagome was taken aback at this.  
  
"No, we are no more than friends. There was a time that I thought I did, but that was long ago. I fell in love with another, and settled down him, and here I am today."  
  
"It's nice to hear that you chose a human over a youkai though...its kinda creepy otherwise." There was a bit of a giggle in her voice.  
  
Kagome was happy to see that Lilian was getting more comfortable, but she wasn't going to lie about Inuyasha.  
  
"Who said the man I chose was human?"  
  
Lilian's smile faded to a look of awe.  
  
"You married a youkai?"  
  
"Kind of" Kagome held up her hand, showing a mark that Lilian seemed to recognize as...  
  
"A mark from a mate?" Lilian said, flustered, and gawking at the scar before repositioning herself for a better look.  
  
"He's a hanyou, but stronger than pretty much any youkai I've ever seen."  
  
Lilian was still speechless as she examined the mark some more.  
  
"This is why I know that youkai can be trusted, I've seen the love they can give first hand. Inuyasha lives with youkai blood that burns stronger than some of the purest of youkai, surely if he can love...than all youkai have the same ability."  
  
Lilian looked up at Kagome, looking her in the eyes, still silent.  
  
"Maybe if you stop convincing yourself that they have no soul so that you can kill them..." Her voice held no malice as she turned her gaze to Kouga, letting Lilian's do the same. "...you will be able to see that soul for yourself."  
  
Kagome got up and walked over to Kouga, then kneeled back down to continue her work on Kouga.  
  
"I don't quite understand you" Lilian started.  
  
"Seriously" Kagome said not looking up from her work. "Just try, start now with just him. Forget about what ever happened between you two and forget the bounty you have on him. Get a chance to know him for now, at least until you get better. I promise, you won't regret it, I'm pretty sure you will make a marvelous friend in him."  
  
Lilian sighed hard. She looked at Kouga, then at Kagome, then back at Kouga.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"Try to befriend him?"  
  
"Yeah"  
  
"You don't have to, but I think it will be a good experience for you. Plus, it will make your stay here much easier if you don't constantly want to kill him since you will be staying here for a while."  
  
"Assuming I do. What am I supposed to do about bounties? I kill youkai all the time, it's this mindset that keeps me sane."  
  
Kagome looked up at Lilian, a smile on her face.  
  
"I'm the miko that protects the shikon-no-tama. I have to kill youkai all the time, but I don't hate them or believe they are monsters, and look at me, I'm just fine."  
  
Lilian shut her eyes, sighed, and smiled.  
  
"I'm still not sure how you can trust them, especially with the shikon so close. How do you know that he didn't just come here to get it?"  
  
"Because he gave us the last shards for it willingly."  
  
Lilian's eyes shot open in surprise at the statement.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You heard about when the shikon-no-tama was shattered and the pieces scattered around Japan right?"  
  
Lilian nodded.  
  
"Well, that was my fault, so I went out with Inuyasha to find them all. Along the way we made some friends and continued out to go find all the pieces. During that journey we met Kouga, he kidnapped me after finding out that I could see the shards, hoping that I would help him by gathering the shards and help his tribe."  
  
Lilian didn't seem surprised.  
  
"But after we got everything sorted out, I went back with my friends, leaving him with two of the three shards he had when we met him. During our journey he showed up from time to time, not too often though, and we never bothered to take the last two shards. After we finally had all of them except those two, we went back to his Den to get them from him. In the end, he gave them to us without a fight, and we hadn't seen him since other than today."  
  
Lilian was shocked.  
  
"But I thought the shikon was said to drive youkai crazy with lust for power."  
  
"It normally does. But he still gave them back, that's one reason why I trust him. He's not just an animal, not just a beast. I know that about him, and I trust him. You should too, he brought you out here safely to make sure you were taken care of, even though you are trying to kill him. "  
  
Lilian was speechless as she looked over Kouga, and her eyes softened. Kagome saw an odd warmth of the true Lilian underneath and realized why Kouga wanted her.  
  
Lilian noticed, after it was too late and quickly turned around and laid down, ignoring her injured leg.  
  
"I'll think about it"  
  
Kagome smirked and went back to find a truly sleeping Kouga.  
  
'You may have a chance after all Kouga.' She thought to herself and once again continued tending to his wounds.  
  
Author: Alright, finished. What you think? Do I really suck that bad? Let me know if your reading this, the reviews really help my confidence, though I'll keep going regardless. 


	14. Will You Try Again?

Author: Sorry about last chapter, I got really lazy about the note. Lol, I should probably be studying for my finals lol, but...no, this is so much more amusing...note to self: GET A LAPTOP!  
  
Anyway, how does everyone like Lilian? I'm kinda confused about what to do for now, because there is a small gap in my brain about what happens until Kouga heals up a bit...which is about...I dunno, 2-3 days right? (yay for youkai-ness)  
  
Crap though, I'm running out of chapter titles, it's really a pain to do. Oh well.  
  
Chapter 14:  
  
The sun set smoothly around off the horizon, Inuyasha could see its wonder from the lake near the village. The last of the suns golden rays reflected off the water and onto the soaked cloak which had been this afternoon's project. After several washings in the water using some of the detergent Kagome had brought from her last visit to her parents, the scent of Kouga's blood was finally so faint that he had to strain to find it. It would do, and he was glad.  
  
He turned away from his work to the horizon and watched as the sun continued its descent. He breathed in deep, taking in the scents of the freshly Febreeze'd cloak and lake.  
  
'It's time to switch shifts with Kagome now'  
  
He stood up silently, not disturbing the calm of the atmosphere, and tested the dampness of the cloak with his hand, and finding it still a bit on the damp side, he folded it lightly, grabbed his sword off the trunk of a nearby tree, and headed back to the village.  
  
The walk was short, he stepped lightly, and rather quietly for one untrained. He let himself get caught up in the surroundings, focusing on the scents of the wildlife around the path. It was really soothing, the sounds of only the wind, the scents of only the beasts and plants, and the golden rays painting everything around him with a serene hue.  
  
He would definitely need to come out here more often.  
  
Within moments, the sounds of the trees was replaced by the sounds of young children being ushered into the house to bed ready for bed, and the scents changed to those of dinners from every direction. He walked silently through the streets, passing and smiling to those who acknowledged him, until he came upon the little hut.  
  
With a slight hesitation, he walked into the hut, then after smelling the sweet scent of his one true love, walked into the room where he found Kagome, sitting under the window sill, radiating under the late sun beams. He was speechless, the sun danced on her skin and in her hair, making them both glisten brighter and more preciously than any stone. The radiance glowed, pouring over her miko's kimono, shining brightly over the white top, and sending excess rays over the red bottom. Villagers often said she was the spitting image of Kikyo when she wore this outfit, but Kikyo had never been able to make the breath stop in his lungs, no she was far better than Kikyo in every way.  
  
He stood there motionless, the mark on his palm warmed and faintly glowed, urging him to get closer, and reminding him of her presence. He knew that Kagome could feel it too, if she hadn't heard him, it didn't matter, because she still knew he was there.  
  
"Kagome..." was all he could manage to say.  
  
She looked up at him with pure eyes, the motion caused her hair to shift and glisten sporadically.  
  
"Hi Inuyasha" she stood up slowly, she knew why he was here, and she was happy to see him, regardless of the fact that it was only to be a little while.  
  
He walked over to her and gently placed a hand on her cheek. He brushed it with the back of his hand and slowly pulled her close, giving her the option of either stepping closer in agreement, or stepping back. She stepped forward only a half step, and he captured her lips with his.  
  
It was a silent and soft kiss, it lasted only a moment, but it was alright, for now it just mattered that they were in the same room for now. He pulled her close and buried his face in her hair.  
  
'Twice in one day? I'll have to thank Kouga for this.'  
  
"I love you" he said during a sigh, then buried his face in her hair again.  
  
"I love you too"  
  
Her voice caused the moment to become even more calm, he pulled his face out of her hair again just in time to catch the last whiffs of her breath. It was just heavenly.  
  
In an attempt to keep the confrontation from going to far, Kagome pulled back lightly, breaking free from her mate's grasp and gave him a warm smile. The mask did well to hide her sadness from the eye, but the mark on Inuyasha's hand betrayed her true feelings, and she in turn felt the same sadness from her mark. Both marks vibrated lightly and slowly, longing to be joined once again, but they both knew that there were other things that needed to be done.  
  
"I gave Lilian some herbs to help her sleep, Kouga was already out so I just let him sleep. He might wake up a little but Lilian should be out until tomorrow, so if he does wake up you can talk." She instructed, Inuyasha just nodded patiently, absorbing what he knew to be important.  
  
"Do you have any plans for helping them out for now?"  
  
"Not quite, but I figured we could start with his manners and go from there."  
  
"Sounds good to me, but what's he gonna wear?" he pointed at the pile of well past unusable armor.  
  
"I don't know, but it was sure smart of you to cut through it like that" she gave a playful tug on one of his ears, he ducked with the motion to make sure that there was no unnecessary pain inflicted by accident. "I'm pretty sure I'll think of something soon. His wounds are all cuts and bruises so he'll be healed up in no time. We'll be able to get started once he can stand."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Then I'll be going. See you tomorrow." She walked as if she was gliding across the floor, Inuyasha could only look on, temporarily stunned.  
  
'Get back here quick monk, or I'm gonna have to go kill you'  
  
Once Kagome was completely gone from the hut, Inuyasha went over to sit in the windowsill. He looked out over the emptying streets of the village and sighed calmly to himself and breathed in the cooling air.  
  
He shut his eyes and allowed the wind kiss his face as he sifted through the air, looking for a trace of Kagome's scent. A look of disappointment crossed over his face when he realized that he couldn't find it, his ears drooped slightly and he sighed heavily.  
  
Such was his existence for the past few months. It vexed him in ways none could imagine, he wanted so badly to be close to Kagome at all times. Their time apart felt more painful the deepest of wounds Inuyasha had ever suffered during battle. It hurt so bad to know that it was his own mate who told him that they couldn't be together for now, and it only grew worse when they both realized that he couldn't even watch from inside the village. He couldn't protect her from her side. He couldn't hold her whenever he wanted, and couldn't kiss her whenever he thought of her, he couldn't even revel in the scent of her that could nearly drive him crazy.  
  
So many days he had spent on the plateau outside the village hoping that there would never be an attack from a powerful youkai making an attempt at the shikon-no-tama. Most of the attacks had started to cease shortly before Sango, Miroku, and Shippo had left. He guessed that after killing so many of the more powerful youkai, others just hid in fear, never daring to pass the borders of the village: and they were alive because of it.  
  
Still, if a stronger youkai with too much confidence tried to do what others had failed to in the past, then what could Inuyasha do? As fast as he was, he could only get here so quickly. Kagome had gotten much stronger in the past few years, but she was only so strong.  
  
His greatest fear was not returning to a village in shambles, but returning to a mate that he had failed in saving, failed to protect...and that was not acceptable to him.  
  
'Why? Why did that stupid jewel ever have to come around in the first place? If it had never existed then...no, it had to exist otherwise I wouldn't have ever met her, but why does it have to be such a nuisance?'  
  
He passed a glance at the shrine, his blood heated at the just the thought that the cause of his torment was there. He wanted to take it himself and destroy it in any way possible, but he couldn't. It had nearly driven him insane with lust for power when they were first bringing it back to the village and he wasn't planning around going around it again. His instincts beat almost as much for the power as it did for his mate, and if he hadn't had a mate, then he probably would have swallowed it himself.  
  
That had been the only period in his life where he was thankful for the human blood in his veins.  
  
The sun finished setting without Inuyasha even realizing it, and it wasn't until the moon had shown through the light clouds that he had come out of his trance. The streets were completely empty now and the last scents of those that had recently gone inside were fading on the now dying wind.  
  
He sighed quietly and turned his attention back inside were he looked upon the sleeping injured.  
  
A tinge of guilt colored his emotions for a moment as he got a better look at Kouga's wounds. Cuts and bruises covered his body, and even though the wolf seemed to be sleeping peacefully, he knew that there was still a bit of labor in the breathing. He sighed and turned his gaze back out the window, shutting his eyes and merely listening to whatever offered sound. He cleared his mind of everything he could, a trick he had learned to make the night pass faster.  
  
The monk better come back soon.  
  
Real soon.  
  
Kouga grunted and stirred a bit as he came out of his rest. His head felt as if his brain had been replaced by a ball of cotton, and his body still ached. He could feel the tight bandages constricting his movement, so for lack of anything better to do, he merely stayed put.  
  
His energy returned to him slowly, he could feel all of his senses coming back to him, but that was all. On the air he could smell the chilled night breeze from the window, Inuyasha, and the sleeping maiden. His inhaled deeply taking in her scent, and caused a slight tinge of pain in his cotton ball brain. As result he let out a slight grunt.  
  
"You're awake"  
  
Kouga turned to see Inuyasha sitting motionless in the window sill. His left leg hung down inside while his right rested in the sill itself, bent so that the knee was6 or 7 inches from his chest. He sat relaxed with Tetsusaiga wedged between the side of the sill next to his head and his right heel, his head almost rested against the sheathed blade. His face held almost nothing, no emotion, nothing.  
  
Kouga did a combination of seething and wincing at a not so happy and very recent memory. Inuyasha noticed but did not make much of a reaction.  
  
The tension lightened a little when the wolf finally collected himself and identified the scent of his rival in it's normal form. He looked him over to see that his eyes had returned to their normal white and the odd tattoos on his face were no longer there. His claws and fangs had returned to normal and the sickening smile was no where to be found. Kouga was far from comfortable, but seeing the normal Inuyasha helped unimaginably.  
  
He struggled against the screaming in his body and the bandages that held him tight, and slowly made his way to a sitting position. He shut his eyes and just breathed, it was hard enough doing just that, Inuyasha watched him passively and let him do just that.  
  
"What happened to you up there?" Kouga broke the silence, taking the opportunity that Inuyasha had obviously given him. His eyes still shut, he prepared himself to digest an answer.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Kouga grunted, lacking the energy to growl. His head was starting to ache, he really did not want to chase around for an answer, he got enough of that from the self-righteous tree. Eyes still shut, he spoke again.  
  
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he was getting agitated as he spoke, the anger definitely not helping his wounds. "what happened to you when we were fighting, what were you? What are you?"  
  
Inuyasha didn't say a word, he and Kouga weren't exactly what one would call "friends", more like respecting rivals. Rivals, that's all they were, and rivals weren't required to give away their fighting secrets, right? Right.  
  
Kouga began to fume internally, he even scraped together enough energy to turn his head and glare at the dog. He actually growled now.  
  
Inuyasha simply looked back at him, the guilt slowly melting away.  
  
"It was nothing you need to be concerned with."  
  
Kouga's anger had peaked already and was beginning to die simply because he lacked the energy to keep it up.  
  
"You almost killed me up there without hardly breaking a sweat and you say its nothing I need to be concerned with? You were faster than me, faster than me."  
  
Inuyasha let out a cool...  
  
"Feh"  
  
The anger continued to dwindle.  
  
"Anyway, are you going to try again when your better? The deal is still on the table."  
  
Inuyasha hoped Kouga's memory of everything after the final strike was too fuzzy now for him to remember Inuyasha's confession that he couldn't really help him the way he promised. He wanted to see if Kouga had changed, it was one thing for him to not run at first during the fight, but to walk back openly, realizing there was no chance, was completely different. He wanted to know how far he was willing to go for this woman.  
  
Inuyasha looked long into Kouga's eyes, for the first time so far showing the wolf some general interest.  
  
Kouga knew what he was talking about, and he hadn't really thought about it. Most of the fight was a current blur, but he still knew that he had no chance fighting against the hanyou if he transformed again. He also didn't have a significant enough advantage to defeat the dog without giving him ample time to do whatever he needed to do to change again. So, would he do it? Could he do it? Did he want to? Its not easy placing one's own neck in the guillotine, and to Kouga, it felt like the same thing.  
  
What would happen if he did? He would most likely end up right back here, by then Lilian would probably be recovered and well past gone. Ah, that's right...Lilian. His gaze dropped to her sleeping form, the scent of sleeping herbs hung lightly around her. She was beautiful, even now while she slept, especially now that she slept. He wanted to be able to get closer to her, in a sense it seemed as if he almost needed to, but she wanted no part of him and had to be almost begged to even speak to him.  
  
She hated his kind for no other reason than she had to. That didn't bother him too much, he actually almost pitied her for it. The logic made sense, she had to kill so many youkai it seemed, that she might actually go insane if she felt for them. She wasn't a killing machine, that much he figured. But the worst thing was that she was really against youkai-human relationships...what could he do? Did he even have a reason to hope? A reason to try?  
  
Kouga opened his mouth to speak an answer that he himself hadn't figured out. His gaze still on the lavender haired woman that seemed so close yet so distant. Before he could utter a word, a wave of heat surged through his body and his vision dulled a bit. With a slight groan he fell back, ending on his back on the bed that he had been using, thoroughly exhausted.  
  
Inuyasha sighed to himself and turned back towards the town.  
  
'I wonder what he would have said' the last part of the battle replayed in his head a number of times, and he began to wonder if maybe he had been a bit rough.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the scent of a small bug youkai getting awfully close to the shikon shrine. Without a second thought he jumped out the window with Tetsusaiga in hand.  
  
Inside the hut Kouga heard Inuyasha's footsteps get a bit further before they stopped. There was a swift cutting sound, then a frail and muffled cry. Within a few moments, Inuyasha returned and sat back in the windowsill, accompanied by a slight scent of blood. Wiping the blood off of his hand onto the sleeve of his cloak, he merely looked back out over the town.  
  
Kouga's eyes began to droop and get heavy from the recent exertion, and slowly fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
Inuyasha looked over at the wolf, a new respect for him brewing within. The Kouga he used to know would never have even dreamed of coming back to fight him, no amount of pride would be able to convince him. He suppressed a chuckle over the change the wolf had undergone in oppose to how he used to be.  
  
Without a word, he turned back to his watch, gazing into the sky and feeling the chilled breeze.  
  
Author: Alright, now that that's finally done. It took me FOREVER to get the first 2 pages from my friend...then I just got excruciatingly lazy. Got bad writer's block though, but these chapters are just writing themselves now lol. I'm so bad, I have almost no idea what these charaters are gonna say or do for the next few days until I actually start writing. Lol. Anyway, I'm going on vacation tomorrow and I'll be gone all week, that means it will prolly be a few weeks before the next update.  
  
Thinking of changing the name to "Taming the Human Heart" or something. Suggestions welcome, possible other names welcome also. Other than that, I dunno, should I use the next 2 or so chapters for character development or just skip them and go to the next important part of the story?  
  
Last thing, do the characters seem OOC? I'm not sure because its been a while since I've seen an episode of Inuyasha. 


	15. Hunter and Huntress

Author: Alright so I posted the first chapter of the Naruto fic, and wow, so many people read those fics now. I got like 7 reviews in less than 12 hrs. I wonder if that's what Inuyasha fics were like back when it was still in it'' prime. Oh well, I think I've said before, this is my masterpiece, and I must finish it because otherwise it will eat at me. So I'll keep working on this one, and try to update both fairly often.  
  
I also got myself a live journal at livejournal.com under the user name Kyori0 so that's three things I have to keep up with...fun  
  
These chapters are really getting hard to name now lol.  
  
Chapter 15:  
  
He could feel the old crust over his eyes as he tried to pry them open, hindering the sunlight that he could feel from his sight. He shifted a little and let out a morning groan as he spurred fully into consciousness, raising his arms above his head to yawn. There was tension on his arms, reminding him of the bandages he was covered in, but was happy to know that his body no longer hurt nearly as bad, and in the current condition he could probably fight.  
  
He yawned and forced his eyes open, blinking repeatedly to wash the chips of crust out and to shield his eyes from the very bright sun. He sat up completely and took in a whiff of the fresh morning air, it smelled fresh with dew and a few passing people in the clean streets, and the scent of the small bug youkai was nowhere to be found. He detected Lilian's presence and Kagome's recently removed scent.  
  
It was then that he noticed a certain morning reaction that he hadn't made a motion to hide well under the covers. His morning arousal formed a nice cloth tower in his covers, his panic was only heightened when he heard a slightly familiar.  
  
"Youkai" Lilian sighed, both boredom and agitation in her voice, and laid back down giving Kouga her back. She pulled up the dull brown covers, covering up the light robe that she had been given during this stay.  
  
Kouga's face morphed to show his embarrassment to no one in particular, he shifted his body in a way to both hide his erection and to allow his now numb tail to slide from underneath him. It was then that he noticed that he was clothed in no more than the bandages given by Kagome, which didn't cover up any part of his body that a human would be embarrassed about.  
  
He pulled his blankets to cover the area, hoping the display of "shame" would gain him some points with the woman, if he could get her to look at him again.  
  
"Hey" he started, quietly and a bit timidly, still trying to gather together his nerve and trademark confidence. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Fine"  
  
The reply was cold, emotionless, but at least it wasn't hateful like Kouga had feared it would be.  
  
"And your leg?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"That Kagome really knows how to treat injuries doesn't she?" Kouga laughed nervously trying to break the tension.  
  
"I guess." She didn't seem fazed at all.  
  
Kouga's laugh faded as quickly and quietly as it started.  
  
He sighed heavily and his heart sunk in his chest.  
  
'Do I really have a chance with her? I mean, she hates me, the only reason she's not trying to kill me is because Kagome told her not to...Maybe I should just give up then...it's not like she would be any less happy, as a matter of fact, she would probably be more happy that I left her alone.'  
  
His face drooped, and he sighed deeply. He slowly got up pulling the cover over him like a cloak, and looked over the maiden again.  
  
'Yeah, she'll definitely be happier then and that's all that matters right? I need to go back to my pack anyway, all hell has probably broken loose already. I don't need a mate...she would be a distraction...right? I wouldn't be able to focus...and...the pack...I...could let them down. She tried to kill one of our members...I shouldn't...I'm supposed to do something about that. Normally...she would be...but I can't, can I?'  
  
He walked silently over to the corner with his armor piled in it. He examined it slowly, not sure of what he wanted to do at all. The breastplate was well past ruined, he'd be surprised if it would even stay on now. The calf and wrist pads were so soaked in blood that it be a hassle, they'd be too heavy, and they would remind him of this...when he ran with his tail between his legs. Not from Inuyasha though...from Lilian.  
  
The armor clanked against the floor as he set it all back down.  
  
"What are you doing now?" The voice was bored, but it was still Lilian's, and by default was beautiful.  
  
"Oh!" he was caught a bit surprised, a ray of hope shined through the clouds. "Nothing, just looking over my armor. Checking to see if we'll be able to fix it back at the Den, but probably not..."  
  
He would have gone on if not from the drop of her shoulders and the long sigh showing that she had tuned him out.  
  
Suddenly the rain was back and the ray of hope was swallowed up again.  
  
He took one last look at the tattered armor, then back at Lilian.  
  
'I am running aren't I. But that's what I do...I run when the battle is too much. That's the reason that I've lived to fight on, the reason I can still lead my pack. They still respect me, even though I'd rather leave than die...I'm surprised a little though. Sure, I guess I'm strong, stronger than the rest of them, but you'd think that they would think me too much of a coward and just stop listening to me. I've got to be the first pack leader in generations to lead without an alpha female...it's helped my judgement I guess, its helped me focus always on the pack. From my hunt for the shikon, to my 'courting' of Kagome...its always been for the better of the pack...never for myself. But that's what a leader is supposed to do right? Yeah...serve first, that's what a leader does...but...for once...I...want to do something...for myself.'  
  
He stepped closer to Lilian's bed until he was within arms reach. He stretched his arm over the distance, and his hand came close enough to feel the heat of her neck against his hand. She was right there, so close he could touch her...and he wanted to, to touch her and have her touch him back. But he knew what would happen if he did, she wouldn't welcome the embrace, she would slink away and arm herself with something...oh how resourceful she was.  
  
'Is that so selfish?'  
  
"If you ever want to use that hand again..." Lilian spoke, coldy. Her voice betrayed a little of her agitation with the youkai. She began to slide her hidden blade out of it's sheathe, making sure to drag it against the edge so it's ring could be heard. "I would suggest that you get it away from me."  
  
She rolled over to face him, the blade's sheathe in her left hand and the half-drawn blade in her right. Her ruby eyes stared emotionlessly through him...oddly enough, the bored gaze reminded him a lot of the way Juromaru had looked at him.  
  
Kouga's face turned instinctively to a smile, as he moved his hand a little to reach for an empty cup that was conveniently placed near her head.  
  
"I'm just thirsty, sorry if I bothered you" he stammered.  
  
He grabbed another nearby pitcher of what he prayed was water and poured it into the cup. The pitcher streamed out a clear liquid, and the disturbance freed the scent into the air.  
  
Room temperature water.  
  
'What's his problem? And what was that look on his face before he started smiling? I could have sworn it was almost sad or something like that. Momentary bleakness or something. Naw, couldn't be, you have to be human in order to have emotions like that, not a beast. But Kagome did say that they do have emotions didn't she, she loves her husband and apparently he loves her back...but then again, he's half human. This...Kouga isn't, no, he's all youkai, and a wolf at that. He couldn't have been sad because then he would have emotions, but he can't...can he?'  
  
She re-sheathed the blade and sat up slowly, watching the wolf slowly and awkwardly drink the water from the cup. There was a hint of curiosity in her eyes.  
  
'He seems...tense, maybe nervous. But why, why should he be nervous? I haven't given him any reason to actually believe I can kill him, so why is he so nervous? I swear he's acting so...so...I dunno...childish or something, naïve maybe. I know he's primitive, but he was so arrogant and confident before...what is wrong now? Better not drop my guard...but while I'm here, may as well gather some information so I can plot my next attempt at him...after all, still need that bounty...not to mention...if I can kill him, then I'm strong enough to...no...it won't matter, its already too late for that.  
  
The neutral look in Lilian's eyes was beginning to fade to a slight sadness as the silence continued.  
  
'Crap, what's wrong, I've got to do something for her...but what? I can't comfort her...but maybe we can talk...I just hope I don't screw things up.'  
  
"So, why did you come after me?" Kouga asked, not having anything better to say, and immediately doubting if what he said had been the right thing to say in the first place. His voice was friendly, lacking malice, but almost shaking from lack of confidence.  
  
Lilian was shaken out of her thoughts at the question, her ruby eyes widened at both the question and the tone it was delivered in. She quenched both her surprise and curiosity in her eyes, but not before going noticed.  
  
"I'm a bounty hunter of sorts. I hunt youkai that people want dead, and I kill them. I bring back proof of the success, and I collect the bounty."  
  
Lilian was a bit shocked about how calm the air was after she finished speaking. In truth, she figured her comment might spur Kouga on to give her reason enough to "defend" herself and finish her job. For that purpose, she deadened her tone to one of pure frost with a tinge of malice and falsified sick joy. But Kouga didn't react, he merely looked at her calmly with his teal eyes.  
  
"Sounds interesting"  
  
Confusion crept into Lilian's voice, replacing the façade of cruelty she had conjured up.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Sounds like an interesting thing to do for a living. Its incredible practice and new chances to test yourself all the time. The enemies you get to meet on the battlefield, the rush of combat after combat."  
  
He tilted his head back a little and shut his eyes without realizing it, his voice softened as if he was fantasizing about the thought of meeting challenge after challenge, rival after rival. Odd joy followed in his voice as he continued.  
  
"It must be incredibly intense, I can't imagine how strong you could get from it all."  
  
Lilian butted back in, a bit shocked, and pulled Kouga out of his state of bliss.  
  
"Don't you think its just a bit...I dunno...angering that I hunt your kind for no reason other than profit? That I've ended so many lives for the sake of money?"  
  
Her voice and eyes softened, her normally cold voice began to show genuine emotion and her dull ruby eyes filled with the dimming air of remorse. Her gaze shifted to the ground.  
  
"That so many had to perish at my hands?"  
  
"No, it doesn't."  
  
Lilian looked up at him, his teal eyes no longer looked so unconfident that he would start trembling at any second. They held strength, confidence, pride. They held them all, but not in the arrogant way she had seen before, his eyes reminded her of a zealot who firmly believed in righteous fury.  
  
"Why not?" Now her voice was just sad...sad and confused. She kicked herself mentally for showing such weakness before her target, she began the process of mentally repairing the walls of her façade, angry that the pitiful look on her face would not change for a while.  
  
"Because, I have had to do the same. I always have, always will. It is the same as hunting. That's what you do, you're a bounty huntress, you hunt and kill to provide for yourself. You collect bounties, I feed myself and my pack. In that way we are one and the same, so I can't be angry at you for doing what you do. You do not kill for sport, or even the thrill of doing so, you do it because you have to. I respect that. I respect you Lilian."  
  
The air was silent again.  
  
Lilian's face went back to neutral mode as her barriers went back up to place.  
  
'Where did that come from? Did I just say all that? No...it couldn't have been...it was too clean...too wise...too...too good. It almost sounded poetic...kinda. But it was my voice, I'm sure of it. It sounded like me, I felt the words come out of my mouth, the words were even accented in the way that I talk. I guess...I did...Wow, I never knew that I could ever say all that...maybe there is some good in talking to that tree so much.'  
  
'This one...what's wrong with him? He should be a blood thirsty monster, a primitive hormonally driven beast. I've slain a stray wolf or two before...but they weren't deep like this. I didn't need to talk to them to know it, I could tell by the way they carried themselves and confronted me. This one...he's not like the others...but why? He's proud like the rest, he lives like the rest, he even smells and eats like the rest...but he's different from them...very different. But how? Its almost as if...he can feel...as if...he has emotions...as if he can feel true pain and joy, and know the difference. But he's a beast...he can't feel all that...he's just a mongrel, an animal, a mutt...but why does he seem so real? Kagome said he was different didn't she? Maybe this is what she was talking about...maybe he is more than just a youkai...maybe I should...no. I can't, I'm going to kill him, like he said, I am a huntress. And that's what I do, and shall remain doing. I don't have a choice...do I?'  
  
The silence was broken by another.  
  
"Kouga!" Kagome burst in. "Your finally awake. You've been asleep for about three days now. How are you feeling?"  
  
She came in the room with a basket full of herbs under one arm with her bow and quiver slung over her back. She carried a welcome brightness into the room as she entered upon the two patients.  
  
"Oh hi Kagome" Kouga returned. "I'm feeling much better, my wounds don't really hurt too much anymore."  
  
"That's good to hear." She sat both the herbs and her weapons in the corner nearest the windowsill. "Do I need to change the bandages or are they still good?"  
  
"Their fine, don't worry about it, but do you have anything I could wear? Inuyasha kinda trashed my armor beyond repair, and I can't find my shorts."  
  
"Actually yes I do."  
  
Kouga sat up, still carefully covering himself in the covers.  
  
"Where is it?"  
  
"The outfit is at my house right now, I got it from a family that outgrew it, but it still looks kinda nice. I'll get it for you but you need to go take a bath before you put it on. I think Inuyasha is taking a bath about now so you'll have company too."  
  
For a moment, Kouga paused, the thought of seeing Inuyasha again wasn't the most pleasant thing he could think of doing at the time. Frankly the idea of taking a bath was kind of annoying too, he'd taken one about a week ago so in his book, he was still good for a few days.  
  
But then again, Kagome would help him with Lilian...and the recent conversation gave Kouga a glimmer of hope that maybe he could receive a happy ending. So, as far as he was concerned, whatever she said, went.  
  
"Alright then" Kouga agreed, albeit a bit nervously.  
  
"Great" Kagome clapped her hands together before turning to the door. "Get up, I'll get the stuff you'll need, just meet me at the door."  
  
There was an oddly sinister grin on Kagome's face as she was walking out the door.  
  
"By the way, take the covers with you when you go."  
  
With that, Kagome was gone, she left the hut quickly and navigated the short way to her house.  
  
Kouga sighed and got up, pulling the covers with him, draped over his shoulders like a closed cape. He looked at Lilian and smiled a bit.  
  
"Doesn't this sound like it will be interesting."  
  
"You need a bath though, trust me"  
  
"Probably do, but you think I smell bad now? Ever wonder why dogs don't like getting bathed? Wolves are the same way, that's why my pack doesn't bathe on the same day." Kouga scrunched up his nose in a gesture.  
  
It was then that he caught something he never thought he would see for a long time. A smile stole itself upon Lilian's face at the joke. For a moment, the barriers of cold slid open like in their conversation ended, and Lilian could truly be seen.  
  
And what a sight it was, she was radiant. The smile was honest, breaching illegally over her seemingly stern face. It was small, but it seemed so right, a piece of her that should always be there that Kouga was missing. That one little smile seemed to brighten her face, and soften her eyes by itself, bathing her entire being in the precious light.  
  
Any thoughts of doubt regarding whether he would try to win her heart fled immediately and new confidence filled his being. His grin widened a bit revealing one of his canines. He remembered why he used to get woosy looking at her, he probably would now if he looked too much longer.  
  
"Why are you staring at me?  
  
"Oh-oh, sorry" Kouga turned just in time to hide his blush. "Uh-uh-s-see you soon" he managed to get out before retreating from the hut, leaving a very confused kunoichi behind.  
  
It was moments later that he stepped out into the sunlight, and it embraced him like a returning prodigal son. He rose his head and welcomed the rays over his body, and focused on the feeling of every piece of him being comforted by the wind. He took in a deep breath of fresh air, there was still a bit of dew in the air, and more people had out to the streets.  
  
"Enjoying yourself?" Kagome asked as she enthusiastically walked over to Kouga, she was a little short on breath.  
  
"Yeah, I am. I love being outside."  
  
He looked down as Kagome shoved two sacks into his chest. With one hand he grabbed them and with the other he held the covers closed.  
  
Before he could ask Kagome explained.  
  
"Take these down to the bathing area. When you get there open the green sack, ask Inuyasha what to do with it all, trust me he'll know." Devious joy etched itself into Kagome's voice. "Once, your done with your bath, open the red one. Please don't open either of them until your supposed to though."  
  
Kouga sighed playfully, pretending to be agitated.  
  
Kagome giggled a little bit before pointing him in the direction of the spring.  
  
Kouga walked off, thanking Kagome.  
  
'She hasn't changed as much as I thought'  
  
Author: Okay, I'm starting to lose my confidence with this fic. And I think I'm getting a little impatient with Lilian, does it seem like she's opening too fast? And if anyone thinks that Kagome was a little...giddy, sorry, I didn't feel like using the sad Kagome for this part...though it did seem a bit odd didn't it?


	16. Bathing and a New Image

Author: Balancing two fics is pretty difficult. Oh well, it's a lot more fun than just having one. Thank you to all of you who have been reviewing, it really makes my day.  
  
Chapter 16:  
  
It didn't take long for Kouga to reach the outskirts of the village, and from there he could smell Inuyasha as if he was right in front of him. Morning sun rays combed through the plant life of the area and the smell of plants and spring water was close by. Kouga followed the scent of the hanyou until it took him on a small path made by none other than travel. The rode was made of dirt and both thin and course, the trees grew thickly around it as he entered the forest area.  
  
At the end of the path he came upon a large spring. It was only a spring because of the thin layer of steam that rose above the water because it was really the size of a lake. At the near edge of the spring sat Inuyasha, his left arm hanging on the bank, and his eyes closed as if focused.  
  
A smirk crossed Kouga's face.  
  
"At it again dog boy?"  
  
Inuyasha made no reply, he knew Kouga was there long before he entered the clearing since the wind was nice about delivering the wolf's scent to him. He sighed lightly before changing the subject.  
  
"I see your not licking your wounds anymore"  
  
"They were all just knicks and scratches, after all, you gave them to me. You expected me to be out any longer from a fight with you?"  
  
Inuyasha's right hand came out of the water and he turned his gaze to Kouga, a bit of a devious grin on his face, but it was partially masked by the steam.  
  
"They looked like a bit more than knicks and scratches when I was carting your unconscious body back to the village."  
  
Kouga muttered "Shut up" so that the hanyou had to strain to hear it, a grin of pride on his face as he turned back to the lake.  
  
"So what exactly are you here for now? I thought you would be hounding after that woman that has such undying love for you." He snickered a bit.  
  
Kouga thought up a clever come back revolving around Inuyasha wacking off in a spring instead of being with Kagome, but since he was supposed to be telling him something about this bath, it really wasn't a good idea to piss him off. But when he finally courted Lilian...that's when the no insults barred rule came into play.  
  
"I'm here to take a bath." Kouga walked over and placed the red sack down that Kagome had given him down on the ground.  
  
"Oh, you guys have started bathing now? That's good" Inuyasha contained a laugh.  
  
"We've always bathed." Kouga said in his defense. He dropped the bed cover he had been wearing and walked over to the spring holding the green sack in his hand.  
  
"Didn't smell like it to me last time I went over there."  
  
"Have I ever told you you were an idiot?" Kouga set the green sack down on the bank of the spring before hesitantly stepping in, fully prepared to jump out if anything more solid than water touched his foot on the way down.  
  
The water was warm, much warmer than the few springs up on the mountain. His tail winced slightly due to it's sensitivity, but soon adjusted.  
  
He found himself a few feet from Inuyasha.  
  
"Kagome said you would help me out with this."  
  
Inuyasha looked back at the wolf in disbelief, hoping that he had just misunderstood what the wolf was asking. Kouga saw the look of confused horror on the hanyou's face before registering what had just been said, and how it might have sounded to one with sex on the brain.  
  
"I mean with this." Kouga pulled the sack off the bank and held it above the spring. "She said you would know what to do with all this stuff." He set it back down on the bank, feeling much better when Inuyasha's face washed over with understanding.  
  
He undid the little knot made from the four corners of the sack and revealed a flurry of variously shaped bottles, an odd smelling bar, a tube, a stick with fur on one end, and a little white box with a red twist-off cap.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
Kouga picked up the bar, it was light green like all most of the other things in the sack. He brought it up to his nose and gave it a long sniff. The bar smelled oddly of some kind of melon, other than that, there were no poisons that he was familiar with. Instinct number two kicked in.  
  
He opened his mouth wide, ignoring the snickering of a really unhelpful hanyou.  
  
He put the bar in his mouth and was prepared to chew through it when the most awful taste he ever experienced murdered his taste buds. His eyes went wide at the strong bitterness of the bar and he spit it out, into the spring, coughing and gagging for a few minutes, and once again ignoring the uncontrollable laughter of a very unhelpful hanyou.  
  
He dunked his head under the water and washed his mouth out, sure, pond stuff tasted pretty bad, but there was no way that bar was natural, no way at all. He pulled his head out of the spring, his hair completely soaked and clutching his body. He pulled the band out that had been holding it in the pony tail, allowing it to fall and then shook his head furiously to get it out of his face.  
  
He turned an almost murderous gaze to Inuyasha who was trying to suppress a laugh at the wolf's expense.  
  
"What the hell was that?" He tried to keep his voice down.  
  
"It's called soap. I suggest you find it, because your gonna need it."  
  
The laughter became easier to control and Inuyasha was able to pull his hand away from his mouth. Kouga rolled his eyes, sighed, and began to search blindly through the immediate area of the spring for the lost soap.  
  
Sensing that the moment could become much more awkward very easily, Inuyasha slowly put some distance between himself and Kouga, who was now deeply involved in the search and had not noticed that he was closing the distance.  
  
After a few moments of searching through the water, Kouga's hand emerged clenching tightly to the bar of soap.  
  
"You might not want to hold it so tight."  
  
"Why not?" Just as the bar slipped out of his hand. Kouga spent the next few moments almost juggling the bar above the water between hands, trying to keep it from going back in the water. After finally clasping the bar firmly in two hands and moving it over bank, he turned back to the hanyou who was once again convulsing in laughter.  
  
"It's not that funny you know"  
  
"Yeah it is" He clasped his hands over his mouth trying to quell the laughter.  
  
Kouga growled under his breath in annoyance.  
  
"So what do I need to do with this?"  
  
Inuyasha spent the next few minutes instructing Kouga on how to use a bar of soap, every so often laughing at the times when Kouga did everything from get suds in his eyes to having it slip out of his hands and into the center of the spring. Memories of when he had done the same things when Kagome had taken him through it all dotted his mind.  
  
He spent the next half hour putting Kouga through the rest of everything that Kagome had put in the sack. Shampoo, conditioner, Toothbrush with toothpaste out of the way, there was one thing left for them to cover. Kouga picked up the little white box and read the label.  
  
"...Oxy...pads? What are these?"  
  
"To be honest...I don't know. Kagome uses them and I used to...but I never really figured out what they were for. She said something about pores or something I think."  
  
"Pores?" Kouga was really confused, his look of confusion was matched only by the hanyou he was talking to.  
  
Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Do you remember how to use them?" Kouga asked as he finally managed to unscrew the cap. A strong scent that almost burned at his nose came from the small box.  
  
"No, can't say that I do."  
  
"Great..." Kouga was very un-amused. "Well, maybe I should..."  
  
Kouga trailed off into an inaudible talk with himself as he lifted one of the pads out of the box. Slowly he brought it over his eye against both his better judgment, and the almost aching warning in the back of his skull.  
  
He brought the pad over his closed left eye and held it there for a second. There was a slight burning sensation, but these things that Kagome had given him didn't quite hit him as pleasant items...the soap incident still fresh in his mind.  
  
"Hey, this isn't so..."  
  
Kouga screamed, then followed the scream with a flurry of swear words that he had learned from none other than Inuyasha (who was yet again convulsing in laughter), as he tore the pad away from his eye and flung it into the spring. When he finally turned back to Inuyasha, his eye was completely red, at first Inuyasha was on guard, then he realized that the fumes from the pad had reddened the wolf's eye. He snickered some more.  
  
Kouga took this opportunity to "hmph" before stepping out onto the back. He jumped into the air and spun wildly, sending water everywhere before returning to the ground nearly dry.  
  
"You know" Inuyasha said, pulling the hand he had used as a shield down. "The sack she wrapped that stuff in doubles as a towel."  
  
"A what?" Kouga asked over his shoulder, his back to Inuyasha and an almost bored look on his face.  
  
"Never mind." Inuyasha pulled himself out of the water and reached for a large piece of blue cloth. He quickly dried himself off with it before wrapping it around his waist.  
  
Now it was Kouga's turn to laugh.  
  
"Wow, now you look full human"  
  
"Don't knock it until you try it, it's kinda comfy..." Inuyasha stopped, realizing what he had just said, and to who he had just said it to. His voice returned to it's loud, almost angry version that Kouga hadn't heard in years. "Hey, it uses less energy, and its more effective. It just means that I'll have energy to spare for the next time i pound you, mutt."  
  
"I'm a mutt?" Kouga challenged playfully, he saw the opportunity to push Inuyasha's buttons, but this time he just couldn't refuse. "I'm _all_ wolf, remember?"  
  
"All wolf alright, but with all those wolves up there, it leads you to wonder. Just how many of them were there that night?"  
  
"Doesn't matter, at least they stayed within their own species."  
  
"Your one to talk, if you haven't forgotten about your assassin, the one that you're trying to court."  
  
"Yes, but that assassin doesn't have me whipped with a single word." Kouga walked over to where he had put the red sack.  
  
"Trust me, that'll change once you've been together for a while." Inuyasha walked over to a spot not far from Kouga where his clothes had been hung on a tree.  
  
"Please tell me your joking about that..." A tone of seriousness replaced his previously jovial one. The thought of Inuyasha doing anything Kagome commanded of him was a bit unnerving, seeing how Inuyasha was still half youkai.  
  
"Of course I am."  
  
Kouga sighed in relief then laughed again.  
  
He turned his attention back to the red sack, the material was smoother he realized for the first time, much softer in his hands. He undid the knot and let the corners of the package fall to the ground. He saw neatly folded cloth, both golden yellow, and black.  
  
He picked up the top piece of the material, and let it unfold. It was a goldenrod gi shirt with no sleeves, the entire shirt was the same color, and it had a bit of weight to it. He slung it over one arm and inspected it with the other, the material was thickly sewn and very padded along the chest and back.  
  
He put it on, sliding his arms effortlessly into the gi, leaving it open for now. He turned his attention back to the next item.  
  
He pulled it up to unfold into a pair of black pants, seemingly sewn the same way. The padding went all the way down to the ankles with the exception of a small hole in the back. He stood up and slipped them on, fitting his tail out the back hole. They fit nicely, the waist hugged him lightly along at the hips but was layered with soft material so that it was comfortable. The legs had little room at the hips but widened out as they went closer to his ankles before shrinking suddenly to a tightly sewn piece of fabric that clung tightly to the bones of his ankles.  
  
He looked down, seeing that the majority of the sacks contents were now on him.  
  
The next thing was a black belt made of a slightly courser material. He closed the shirt and wrapped the belt around the waist of the pants, leaving about an inch or so of the gi shirt below the belt.  
  
Next there was a headband, made of the same material as the belt but it was the same goldenrod color of as the shirt. He slid it on, sliding a few locks of his hair underneath it so that they fell close to his eyes.  
  
He plucked out a strand of his thick hair, and tied the rest back into a ponytail using the strand to keep it in place.  
  
He looked down to the last item in the bag.  
  
Goldenrod bandages to wrap around his feet like the ones she had taken off of him, except they were new looking and much thicker.  
  
He sat down and began wrapping his feet and ankles when Inuyasha strolled over, sliding Tetsusaiga and it's sheathe under his belt.  
  
"So she gave you that outfit huh?"  
  
"Yeah I guess so"  
  
"Consider yourself lucky, that's one of the best ones she's made."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, she started sewing a while ago because she was bored. She got pretty good at it too, learned form some of the best seamstresses in the village. That outfit she made to be almost like casual armor, she padded it or something so that the outfit would absorb a lot of the shock. I think she even blessed it so it wouldn't tear so easily. She dyed all the material herself too."  
  
"Really then" He finished off his first foot. "If its so special, why didn't you wear it?"  
  
"Didn't fit me. She must've guessed it would fit you though, I think she made the headband and foot bandages just yesterday."  
  
"Well it does. Its nice to wear something other than armor for a change, and its nice to not have that sword hitting against my legs." He finished up the other foot, then stood up evenly, he jumped a bit then threw a kick to no one in general. "I like it, I can fight in it, but at the same time, I don't look like I'm ready for war."  
  
"Good then. I think it's time we head back."  
  
"Alright"  
  
Kouga gathered up the bathing supplies in the green sack, and went back over to Inuyasha. The two made their way back to the village joking and laughing as if they had been friends for years.  
  
Author: So, what do you think of Kouga's new look? I think it's better than the armor, and for once, I actually feel confident in this chapter...[grins].  
  
Anyway, there may be a lit of lemon-y ness in chapters to come, definitely won't be yaoi though...because that's just a mite creepy. If (and I mean if) I do, I'll let you know to find it at my live journal and I'll put the link in my bio. 


	17. Together Again

Author: ...I've been a very bad writer, I've been really lazy about updating this fic...because well, I was afraid of this chapter. This chapter is a censored version of the lemon chapter that I may write. This is my masterpiece and I refuse to allow it to be taken off ff.net because of stupid things like content. This chapter will still be R here just not NC- 17.  
  
That's pretty much it so...  
  
Chapter 17:  
  
The moon shone brightly on the hanyou in the street. It's blue glimmer lit up the buildings around, and more specifically, the door in front of him which was closer to glowing.  
  
Inuyasha's eyes had dulled over a bit from the feeling the mark on his hand was sending. This had been the first time in all these months that he had felt this, and it caused a twinge of guilt to run through his spine. On the other side of the door, and a few rooms in, was Kagome.  
  
And she wanted him.  
  
There had been times before when he could tell she thought of him, his mark told him that. This was the first time though that the thoughts had driven her to this level. If this is how it felt knowing that your mate was alone thinking about you while touching themselves, he felt sorry for all the times thoughts of her had driven him to the mountains.  
  
As if by summoning, the feeling had driven him here, away from the shikon, away from his shift. As much as he knew he should've been there, he just couldn't stay there. He had convinced himself that he had come only to watch her sleep peacefully for a few moments then step out. He knew better than to think that, but convincing himself was the first step in convincing Kagome if she happened to ask. Maybe.  
  
After all, Kouga was there to kill off anything that got too close right? He would understand how he felt, similar blood running through his veins. He would help him out by guarding it...just this once. He owed it to him didn't he? Of course he did. Not to mention that kunoichi back there could too, even he knew that her wounds were really not too serious anymore.  
  
He stepped toward the door, the pulsating sensation from his mark driving him near madness, guiding him like the living dead towards the one thing that could resolve this need. He wasn't sure if he was breathing, nor did he really care. His left hand clutched on to Tetsusaiga's hilt to help relieve his nervousness, if she sent him back, he would have lost his mind. He really did regret how strong her sense of duty was sometimes.  
  
His hand moved on its own accord and reached for the door. There was a slight creak as it heaved out of the way, and he stepped into the first room. As soon as he entered, he was met with the presence of something he had missed and never forgotten...  
  
The smell of her love and lust...  
  
A chill went down his spine, his eyes shut, and he stood there, relishing in the scent. His feet carried him further into the room that had been long since memorized. His pace was slow as not to disturb the stillness of the air. His mark pulsated in agitation as the distance between him and his mate was closed with such a sluggish pace. His breathing evened out as his senses, aside from his sense of smell dulled away.  
  
Every step brought him closer until he found himself in front of the door to their bedroom. The scent was purely maddening, and Inuyasha was close to whimpering in anticipation. Her scent was beautiful all the time, and it could bring him a certain peace he had never really felt before he met her, but times like this, her scent was just brilliant. In oppose to the normal peace he felt, it instilled in him a rush, an impatience, evoking heat within him, and summoning the youkai blood to the surface. Yet this time, he felt the peace at the same time, and the roaring in his mind was calmed down to two almost whispered words.  
  
..._take her_...  
  
His eyes still shut, he reached for the door. He inhaled one last time, and opened the door, as well as his eyes.  
  
The breath he had inhaled suddenly left his lungs in a hurry. Everything in the room was hazy except for the bed in the center and the woman laying on it.  
  
There she was, in all of her perfected beauty, her body shone like it was covered in moonlight even though there were no windows. Every curve of her body, every one of her features were accentuated, and every curve could be seen by the hanyou.  
  
Her eyes were closed as she wriggled around on the soft violet covers, her hands causing her to moan almost inaudibly every so often, the guilt in the pleasure could be heard by one who knew her well. She was oblivious to his presence, refusing to believe that he was actually in the room with her. Her mark pulsated against her warmth, but she had to be hallucinating, but it felt like he was right there. His body, voice, face, hair, everything about Inuyasha was etched in her mind, and as much as she wanted him to be there, she knew he wasn't. She had sealed her own fate when she decided to take on the shikon-no-tama in the first place...but then she wouldn't have met him.  
  
She kept her eyes closed, if she opened them, she would realize he wasn't there. She wanted him to be there, she did honestly...but...he couldn't...  
  
"Kagome..."  
  
The words were whispered. His voice sounded like honey to her, she writhed once as a particular spasm shot through her abdomen...even imagining his voice could do this to her...how badly she wanted him to be there, to talk to her, to hold her, to kiss her, to love her...  
  
Inuyasha winced as he saw a single tear fall down the side of her face. He couldn't take this any longer...he had to at least be close to her...even if she would send him back out to the shrine.  
  
His mind made up, he slowly and silently removed Tetsusaiga from his belt loop and placed it against the door. His hands trembled as he heard each sigh and guilty moan come from Kagome's rose lips. Without so much as a sound he walked around to the side of the bed, his mark now visibly glowing faintly red and pulsing.  
  
He looked over and another whisper escaped his lips.  
  
"Kagome..."  
  
It was sadder this time...she could hear it, in her mind he was sad.  
  
There was another tear, on the other side, the side Inuyasha was on.  
  
Without thinking, he leaned over the bed so he was close enough to feel the warmth of her face. He held his breath as his face got closer to hers.  
  
He placed a gentle kiss underneath her eye and moved down to her ear.  
  
"I'm hear for you...just ask me to stay...and I will..."  
  
It was so quiet that if he hadn't been right next to her ear, she wouldn't have heard it.  
  
He pulled back a little just as she turned her head, eyes still closed.  
  
'Maybe...just maybe...' her thoughts sounded desperate in her own mind. She braced herself as her heart began to pound in sudden fear.  
  
Then she slowly opened her eyes. Her hands stopped moving instantly.  
  
Tears streamed out of her eyes as she stared at the face in front of her.  
  
"Please tell me your real..." There was fear in her quivering voice.  
  
Inuyasha blinked slowly and reached out for one of her hands. He took it softly in his and guided it back up to his face, holding it against his cheek. He focused to keep his eyes from glazing over again though the room was still fuzzy, the hand he had grabbed had been the one massaging her warmth, the scent was almost too much to bear.  
  
A few more tears streamed down the side of her face.  
  
"...Just ask..."  
  
"Please...stay here...with me..."  
  
Inuyasha smiled warmly.  
  
"Ok..."  
  
He leaned in and softly pressed his lips against hers, for a moment they were motionless...still in shock that he was here, but after only a moment, the hesitation ended and her lips parted. His tongue slid in and slowly moved around, everything about her body that he had discovered was coming back from the back of his memory banks.  
  
He pulled the rest of his body onto the bed, never breaking the kiss. He was laying on his side when his marked hand was placed on her thigh. There was a warm pulse and Kagome twitched and offered a muffled moan at just the touch. His hand slowly slid up his body, dipping in each and every curve of her nude body on the way up to her arm. It reached her shoulder and snaked it's way down her arm and reached her wrist just as they parted. Both out of breath.  
  
His hand clasped onto hers, mark to mark. They glimmered red, emitting a small light, and warming the two. Everything disappeared around them, they're eyes no longer perceived anything but each other. Vibrations flowed through each of their forms, sending chills down their spines.  
  
Inuyasha nuzzled his mouth down to the crook of her neck, rubbing his against her skin.  
  
"...I love you..." ==============================================================  
  
Lilian stood near the window sill looking out into the moonlit sky, dotted with more stars than could be counted. The cast was still on her leg but she knew that it was no longer injured, she kept it on only because Kagome must have wanted her here for a reason, she had to have known that this injury was not all that serious anymore.  
  
She sighed before turning back into the room to Kouga who was just sitting against the opposite wall staring out the same window as she.  
  
"I wonder where Inuyasha went. It was a while ago that he just up and left"  
  
"Don't worry about him, he can take care of himself...trust me."  
  
"I'm not worried, I'm just wondering, Kagome's gonna have a fit when she finds out he abandoned his shift for too long."  
  
"Maybe" Kouga pulled himself up and strolled across the room.  
  
Lilian made note of his position as he walked towards her and the windowsill. He stopped on the other side of the sill looking out to the same sky, a childish smile on his face.  
  
"What are you smiling about?"  
  
"Me?...It's nothing, don't worry about it."  
  
"Okay, if you say so..."  
  
Kouga just continued to look up into the endless expanse of the night, that smile on his face. Without looking away he turned his attention to her.  
  
"Hey, your leg is feeling better right?"  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"Why don't you take the cast off, and we can go for a walk or something."  
  
Lilian looked at the wolf puzzled, his voice held innocent cheerfulness. The arrogance wasn't there, nor was there any sign of deviousness. Now she was utterly confused. So she said nothing.  
  
"Well how bout this...I've gotta go use the bathroom, when I come back, will you have an answer then?" He turned to her, still smiling.  
  
She was confused, but she wouldn't let him see her off guard.  
  
"Yeah, I'll think about it."  
  
"Okay then, I'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
With that he hopped out the window and took off down the street towards the forest, his smile now had managed to grow even wider even though Lilian didn't see it.  
  
"This could get interesting"  
  
She walked over to where her weapons had been placed and picked up one of her knives. She unsheathed it, admiring the blade for a moment before beginning to cut the cast away. Even if she didn't go on the walk, it would be nice to get the thing off anyway...it was starting to itch.  
  
After a few moments, she peeled the cast away from her leg. Just as she went to put the knife back with her other things, she heard a slight rustling outside accompanied by a chill down her spine.  
  
..._something's happening_...  
  
Without a word she grabbed the second knife, unsheathed them both and walked silently over to the window.  
  
She shut her eyes and listened.  
  
It was a while before she heard something...but she definitely heard something.  
  
Footsteps...coming from the shrine.  
  
Without another sound, she hopped out the window, landing perfectly without so much as a hint of trouble from her leg. It was annoyingly bright for this kind of thing that night, but she had been trained in using stealth in even broad daylight. It would be difficult...but then again, she never had a problem with difficult.  
  
Her expression changed to nothingness as she went into "huntress" mode. She clasped the knives tightly and hopped up onto the room leaving not so much as a trace.  
  
Author: Okay. Lol, that was fun...never tried anything close to lemon before...that doesn't even really count though does it? Anyway, if you guys want, I guess I'll try a lemon version of this chapter that I can post on my lj. Just lemme know and I'll post it along with my next chapter and I'll put up the link. Just realize that I have NO experience in that other than what I've read in other fanfics...in all honesty I've never even kissed any one before...so it'll be an experiment for me. If you have confidence in me, I'll try. 


	18. Duel Under the Moon and Stars

Author: I'm so sorry about how long it took for my last chapter, really I am. But no I'm not dead, and no I don't plan on discontinuing this fic. This fic must be completed as it is my masterpiece...and I really like it.  
  
It seems that none of you wanted to see a lemon chapter, in all honesty I'm glad because that was scaring the crap out of me.  
  
Sorry about the last chapter being so short though, It really did seem like a long time while I was writing it...  
  
Chapter 18:  
  
For once in her life Lilian was unhappy with the bright glow of the near full moon in the sky above. Along with the sparkling of the countless stars, there was nearly no darkness to mask her from sight as she traveled along the roofs to get a look at who or whatever was near the shrine. It was now for the first time she noticed that the robe she was wearing was a slightly darker lavender than her hair itself. I nearly sparkled in the moonlight along with the hair that she had recently pulled down to warm her neck against the chilled night air.  
  
She bit back a shiver as she rounded the shrine from the roofs above to the front of the wooden cabin used to house the infamous shikon no tama. She tried her best to peer into the darkness, never making a sound, but since her eyes were not use to darkness due to the blaring light from above, she could hear nothing. It was after only a moment that she heard a slight rustling.  
  
She set down the daggers silently before moving her hands in sShe clutched her daggers tightly, one in each hand and waited as a figure stepped out into the moonlight.  
  
The creature stood on hind legs that were covered in black fur. It stood on the balls of the feet, making them look remarkable feline. It's arms were also covered in the inky black fur, from it's strong and large biceps and triceps, down to his hands, there was flesh on the palms but fur on the back. The thumbs were opposable, and there were short claws that hardly passed each finger. There was a tail sticking out of the back of it's stiff looking red shorts that came down to about it's knees and continued on as frayed, softer looking material down to his mid calves. Above the shorts were two wide straps made of a similar material that went from the waist all the way up until it draped over the shoulders, making a similar path back down to it's back. The color was the same red as the shorts except for the golden yellow spikes on the straps, she noticed that the straps were in position to protect the heart, lungs, and frontal damage to the ribcages. It's head was also covered in the black fur, except it was definitely feline, piercing narrow golden eyes shimmered against the moonlight.  
  
A black panther youkai, Lilian even had an idea of what region he was from by the armor it wore. She assumed that it was male due to the significant lack of breasts the panther had. Panthers weren't nearly as close as wolves, but they still seldom left the pack, especially not two weeks journey for one of even their speed. An exile most likely, possibly a stray.  
  
The panther stepped into the street, descending the handful of steps between him and the ground. His right hand was clutched tightly in a ball, and his lips were pulled back in such a way as to seem that he was smiling.  
  
He drew his head back once he stepped onto the street, revealing his neck and his rose his hand up to his head. A shimmer of pink light escaped his palm, catching the kunoichi's eye.  
  
She jumped down and without a sound, slipping one of the daggers into her left hand so that she had a free one. In one fluid motion she scooped up a small rock and threw it towards the youkai. She armed her free hand once again as the rock whizzed through the air, hardly making a sound.  
  
It was only right before the rock hit the youkai's throat that he seemed to notice and made a very awkward dodge, letting the rock slip between the loop of his arm while nearly grazing his neck.  
  
'Easy Prey.'  
  
Lilian's face remained indifferent as her huntress mode façade did it's job.  
  
The youkai glared daggers at the woman, his bright golden, narrow eyes pierced the air as finely as a needle.  
  
"I wouldn't suggest you try that, I'll cut that thing right out of your throat while it's on its way down."  
  
The youkai's glare calmed, and his lips fell back into a smug grin.  
  
"You think that you, a human, can defeat me?"  
  
His voice was cold and arrogant, a tad on the raspy side as if his throat was a bit raw.  
  
Lilian clutched hard onto the daggers in each of her hands before she parted her lips to speak.  
  
"Do you really want to find out?"  
  
The panther laughed a bit, it sounded a bit hushed.  
  
"Well try not to scream too loudly okay? I've waited a long time for that hanyou to let his guard down, and I'm not gonna let you blow it."  
  
Lilian said nothing, she merely looked him dead on in the eyes, sinking into a ready stance with a dagger on each side.  
  
The panther dropped the priceless jewel into a small sash that had been hidden under one of the armored straps he wore. Once it was secured, he flared out his youki.  
  
A black aura surrounded the youkai and there was a seemingly everlasting grin on his face.  
  
"Hope your not afraid of the dark..."  
  
With that, his youki thickened, enveloping all Lilian could see in mystical darkness. It blotted out the stars and the moon, leaving nothing for her to see, even her own hands were hidden from her eyes. She remained motionless however, feeling a bit more comfortable shrouded in complete darkness, this fool of a youkai would soon realize that his own weapon was also her greatest strength.  
  
She shut her eyes to help her concentration, and focused on the sounds around her. The breeze, the dust, the moving robe, she made herself aware of every sound around her, and focused on her reflexes. She was prepared to fight this thing in utter darkness, she had been trained to be able to.  
  
She waited, breathing evenly and quietly until she heard a shifting from where the panther had been. His feet began to walk, but not towards her, away from her...he had underestimated her. She hated when people underestimated her.  
  
Her right combed the ground for a moment before finding what she was looking for. Her nimble foot clasped hold of another rock about the same size as the first, and without so much as a second thought, she kicked her foot out, releasing the projectile forward. Before she heard the satisfying "thunk" and resulting growl, she knew she would hit her mark.  
  
When the tell tale sounds emerged from the darkness, she spoke.  
  
"Don't underestimate me youkai, that is the last warning you'll get. If you turn to walk away from me again, you'll find a dagger and not a rock hitting the back of your neck."  
  
She heard him stifle a breath, he hadn't expected for her to actually be able to aim that precisely. There was another soft growl, and then the darkness receded.  
  
Lilian slid back into a ready stance.  
  
"That's pretty sad if you can't hold that technique and fight at the same time."  
  
The panther curled both of his fists into a ball and turned his body so that his side faced the huntress. His fists moved in between the two at about shoulders height, and his left foot shifted in the ground in readiness.  
  
'How ironic, he knows Panther's Foot. Too bad I know it too'  
  
Lilian's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Whoever said that? I just want to see the look of horror on your face when you see me kill you."  
  
Lilian bit back a grimace of annoyance.  
  
'Underestimating me again, I gave him only one warning and that was all he was gonna get.'  
  
The panther youkai charged letting out a low roar. Leaping low to the ground, he cleared the distance between them quickly, his right arm arched back for an attack.  
  
Lilian readied herself, she had a good idea what was coming first. A punch- kick combo from the right side most likely. The punch, she knew, would be nothing more than a meager distraction, but Panther's Foot Kick Boxing had some of the nastiest kicks known to modern martial arts.  
  
With a counter devised, she slunk back, waiting for the attack. The first punch came in quickly, and just as quickly, she stepped inside the blow, she felt the spikes on the armor graze her back just as she stopped. Her arm came up to block at the bicep, using the physics of where to position the block, she rendered the youkai's superior strength. A smarter warrior would have abandoned the combo and pulled back, but the youkai pushed on, keeping his leg curled making the kick into a knee attack.  
  
Lilian was a bit surprised at her opponents stupid move, but managed to bring her knee up to block using the same principle she used to stop the punch. The youkai stifled a dull roar in surprise as Lilian stomped her foot to the ground and pushed her body to spin the other way, pointing the dagger in her free arm for the youkai's gut.  
  
The dark creature followed Lilian's example, stamping his foot to the ground and pushed back, he moved just in time to have the blade come within centimeters of his exposed stomach.  
  
Upon realizing the attack wouldn't work, Lilian pushed off the ground with her left foot, the momentum of the spin carried her body to fully twist. She extended her right leg, and crashed her bare foot against the side of the youkai's head. He stammered a bit, and Lilian finished the rotation once she hit the ground, then, without wasting a second, she charged in swinging the dagger in her right hand for his neck.  
  
The youkai pulled his head back far enough to avoid the full extend of the blow, the blade grazed his throat, causing a slight shock to attack his spine, made of a mix of well placed fear and pain.  
  
Once again, the lavender cloaked killer finished the spin, then coming around for another spin, embedded both of her fists in the exposed part of his stomach. The sound of metal blade hitting metal armor was drowned out only by the youkai coughing as air escaped his lungs. He jumped back, placing more significant of a distance between the two.  
  
Lilian pulled back into a ready stance, her eyes glazed over in a fit of boredom. She half-heartedly noted that the creatures eyes had narrowed even further as anger radiated from his being. His youki rose, but didn't cover her sight.  
  
He uncurled his fists, but his hands remained tensed as his claws grew out a half-inch. He snarled and then let out a roar.  
  
'Now it's time for this one to die.' The huntresses thoughts echoed in her own head.  
  
She braced herself to dodge as the youkai pounced after her, his right arm risen high above his head aiming to cleave her down the middle. As the distance between them gave, the huntress didn't even so much as break a sweat.  
  
When the beast slashed, she ducked right under the blow, and stepped around him, turning, and throwing one of the daggers straight for his mid back. There was a start of a roar as the panther saw the attack, then quickly moved to avoid the blade by mere inches.  
  
He turned his gaze back to Lilian, even though his eyes were golden, they poured out his crimson anger. He charged again, driven by rage, trying the same attack.  
  
Lilian ducked under the attack again, and threw her other dagger. The panther dodged it again, this time by a wider range. It took advantage of saving time from the better dodge, and charged again towards the unarmed huntress.  
  
Lilian pulled back, retreating from the beast, managing to keep the distance between them about the same. Her senses kept her alert to the area around her, she focused on the wall, charting her distance from both that and the first knife she threw, still wedged in the wood of the wall.  
  
The trap was actually really simple, she didn't even bother positioning herself so the panther couldn't see the dagger, he was so caught up in his rage that it didn't matter. Her mask drowned the smile that wanted to cross her face as she neared the wall, a vision of how to slit the beast's throat in her mind.  
  
Her back touched the cold wood of the wall behind her just as panther reached striking distance. She reached over for the dagger, pulling it from behind her with ease. It took a split second of her concentration which she dared to look away from her target as her eyes went to her weapon, when she turned around, he wasn't there.  
  
In his place was a widely smiling wolf youkai looking in the direction of a cloud of dust that wasn't there before.  
  
"Are you alright?" There was genuine concern in the wolf's voice.  
  
For a moment, Lilian's façade cracked and whispered words pushed themselves to the front of her mind.  
  
_...if you stop convincing yourself that they have no soul so that you can kill them...  
  
...you will be able to see that soul for yourself...  
_  
In a moment the crack disappeared and her voice interrupted the silence, numb and emotionless as she wanted.  
  
"You know I didn't need your help"  
  
"Probably didn't, but if its there, why not take it?" The wolf flashed a grin, taking the huntress by masked surprise.  
  
"If you want to help, grab the shikon from him. I'll take care of the rest." With that she shut her eyes and began to concentrate. A low hum of energy wisped through the air around her as her ki began to rise.  
  
Kouga grinned to himself, cracked his knuckles and turned around in time to see the panther pulling out a little sash. Still sitting on the ground, he seemed to ignore Kouga's presence as he turned the sash upside down and dropped none other than the shikon no tama into his dark hand.  
  
Kouga reacted without thinking, he raced towards the sitting creature, clearing the distance in two leaps and plowed his foot into the panther's chest, knocking him on his back, then using the same foot, pinned him down. The resulting impact with the ground caused the jewel to jump from his hand, high enough so that with a quick swipe, Kouga now held possession of the artifact.  
  
A chill ran down his spine, he turned to see Lilian now covered in an aura so orange it was nearly red, there was a large symbol drawn in the same color in front of her, and a smaller symbol to the left, right, and below it. Her hands traced out the last of another one above the center character and immediately all the symbols were encased in a ring. Lilian's ki spiked, sending another chill down Kouga's spine.  
  
Without a word he jumped away, leaving the panther to face what was sure to be certain doom.  
  
===============================================================  
  
The arc in Kagome's back gave allowing the two to collapse one on top of the other. Breathing in the smell of musk, sweat, and love, the two lay there motionless, content with forever basking in the warm afterglow of their previous activities.  
  
Unfortunately, their mood was ruined when Inuyasha's senses picked back up to their normal levels, just in time to feel a spike of energy.  
  
"What the?" His voice hardly above a whisper.  
  
Kagome looked up at him a perplexed look washed away the distant look of sheer post-ecstasy, and drowned out the memories of the time just spent with her mate.  
  
Inuyasha shifted a bit, but not pulling away from Kagome, his gaze turned towards the wall. Each could feel the other's tension through their revitalized marks.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's strange...kinda like youki...but not quite the same. Actually it feels kinda human..."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"Well, there's so much...its almost like...someone was...fighting."  
  
Instantly the lover's gazes locked as all bits of fantasy faded away into nothingness. There was only one reason there would be a battle around here, they didn't know who was fighting, because they already knew what they were fighting about.  
  
"The shikon no tama!" Both said in unison.  
  
===============================================================  
  
Lilian looked coldly at the smoldering pile yards away from her, the smoke from her hands was beginning to clear up. Her body felt drained, and her vision began to blur as a warm voice came from somewhere close to her.  
  
"What did you call that one again?"  
  
Her voice sounded muffled as she struggled to stand.  
  
"Its an old language, it translates loosely to Twin Fire Cannons"  
  
"That was actually a pretty scary technique, but why didn't you use that when you fought me, it seemed a lot more effective than that lightning bolt you used before."  
  
It was getting increasingly difficult to stand and hold it together.  
  
"That's because I don't have a mountain to climb down while out running a pack of angry wolves this time."  
  
Her legs buckled and she fell. At first she thought that the ground had magically become softer since the last time such a thing happened, it was only a moment before she realized that is was too warm to be the harsh dirt beneath her.  
  
She looked up to meet teal eyes full of caring and naivety, yet at the same time courage and wisdom given only by decades of living. It wasn't until then that she realized how cold the night air actually was in the robe she was wearing. Unintentionally, she burrowed her body closer to the wolf, taking a handful of his gi top in each hand.  
  
In return there was a deep growl that stayed unheard, merely felt in the wolf's chest, calming her in a way that she never expected. Her façade fell away completely due to the lack of a target, and she continued to cling to the warmth, enjoying the rustling chest whenever she felt it run through her body.  
  
Kouga's arms slowly went from under her, to draped around her as he pulled her close, getting lost once again in her scent. He rustled his chest again, enjoying the feel of her body against his, calming himself too. He took in another deep breath of the woman so close, as his chest finally ceased moving from it's previous growl, completing the act once again that was what wolf youkai did in replacement for kissing.  
  
The huntress didn't know, so Kouga didn't hold her to it. To him, it felt as though they were as close as those that have been courting for sometime, to her it was just an action that managed to comfort her and keep her warm. While she knew of youkai ritual, she didn't know of every small custom within the pack, that was fine for him. He could take this at her pace, that much he was sure about.  
  
It was a few minutes of silence under the stars before two other scents, so closely mixed that they seemed as one entered the area.  
  
"Hey guys"  
  
Kouga avoided shouting as not to startle the maiden in his arms.  
  
Kagome was donned in Inuyasha's fire-rat cloak, and the hanyou himself wore nothing other than his kimono bottom, Tetsusaiga in his hand. At the realization that everything was alright and that they were both half naked and covered with a drying layer of sweat, they both turned the same red as the clothing they had on.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Kagome was the first to speak.  
  
"Some youkai came to get the shikon no tama." He pointed to the once smoldering pile which was now beginning to wreak for those who had more sensitive noses. "Lilian managed to do most of the work herself before I got back from taking a piss in the woods."  
  
Kagome bit back an eye-twitch at the choice of words, silently thanking herself for ridding Inuyasha of some of the same ones.  
  
Lilian squirmed a bit in Kouga's arms, showing that she could stand and the wolf hesitantly loosened his arms, allowing her to stand on her own.  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome shot a grin at Kouga, then when they saw that her eyes were becoming less distant, pushed it back.  
  
"Kouga, you got the shikon from that panther right?"  
  
"Oh yeah, it's right here."  
  
Kouga opened up one of his curled fist to reveal the forgotten jewel, Kagome immediately tensed up at the sight, her voice became sharp as a result.  
  
"Kouga, give me that, now." She held out her hand, her face chiseled out as if she was a strict war veteran.  
  
"Oh, sure."  
  
The wolf made his way over to miko stopping with his hand a few inches from hers. He had forgotten about it with Lilian so close, but now, he could feel it. Feel it's power. Feel it's pull. Unconsciously, his hand began to curl around it, and the was the slow sound of a sword unsheathing off to the side.  
  
"You know, its funny. It took me a few years of training to get to the level I was at with a mere shard of this thing. I can't imagine the power the whole thing could grant me, I'd never have to worry about my pack being in danger ever again, we could probably even expand our territory, with this simple little thing."  
  
Kagome's face hardened further, a short breeze blew by the wolf, signaling that Tetsusaiga was drawn and ready to hack him at a moment's notice.  
  
Behind him, Lilian shook her head.  
  
'Just a youkai after all, just like the rest.'  
  
"But the thing I noticed" Kouga continued. "Is that with that small shard, I never got any stronger, every battle I fought, every enemy I defeated, I never found myself more agile, quick, or powerful. My skills never grew at all. Even if I were to devour this thing, it would mean the same thing, I could never grow beyond what I would gain. Even though there would be a bunch of power in the beginning, it would be useless to me if I could never grow..."  
  
There were three confused people looking at the wolf now.  
  
"That's the lie that so many youkai can't seem to see. This thing keeps you from reaching your full potential by quickly giving you power that would take time to achieve. I don't need this thing...someday I'll be stronger than I ever would with it..."  
  
He dropped the jewel into Kagome's hand which quickly shrunk back, before turning to Inuyasha and giving him playful yet challenging smirk.  
  
"And when that happens, I'm definitely coming back for a rematch...so whatever happened to you in our last fight...be ready, because I plan to fight it again someday."  
  
Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga and returned the smirk with equal fervor.  
  
"Come by whenever you think your ready pup, and I'll be happy to give you a good beating again."  
  
"Don't worry, I will"  
  
"...Kouga...Lilian..." Kagome's now soft voice came next. "Thank you for watching over this, even though it isn't your responsibility...thank you so much."  
  
"Don't worry about it, I owed you at least that much." The wolf's smile was wide. "As a matter of fact, how bout I stay and watch your night shift for you until I need to go back. My pack should be alright, they in confident hands. Sound good to you?"  
  
Kagome's eyes lit up, a smirk drew itself on Inuyasha's face.  
  
"You mean it?"  
  
"Yeah"  
  
"I'll help too, just to make sure that if anything else happens, I can bail him out of trouble." Lilian walked up, her voice amazingly strong to Kouga considering her most recent display.  
  
'She said give you a chance wolf...so I'll give you that much. Let's see if you really do have a soul'  
  
Kagome could no longer contain herself, she ran over and gave the kunoichi a nearly strangling embrace, threatening to knock both women on the ground. Inuyasha in the mean time walked over to Kouga, and placed one firm arm on the wolf's shoulder, a smirk on his face.  
  
"Who woulda thought years ago that we could actually be friends now huh?"  
  
"I was thinking the exact same thing."  
  
"Mangy wolf."  
  
"Halfling pup."  
  
The two laughed for a moment before Kouga interrupted a devilish grin on his face.  
  
"I think if you two hurry back, you make be able to squeeze one more in before my shift ends, believe me I will come knocking at dawn."  
  
Inuyasha looked over at Kagome before returning a look to his newly acknowledged friend.  
  
"You know, your almost as bad as that monk that normally follows me around."  
  
"Who me?" Kouga held up his hands in the air, failing miserably to look innocent.  
  
"Hey Kagome! Let's go!" Inuyasha shouted, raising his hand in a good-bye gesture before turning his back on the wolf.  
  
"Oh sure, just gimme a second." Kagome detached herself from the kunoichi before slipping into the shikon's shrine. She slipped back out after a moment and returned to Inuyasha's side.  
  
"Thank you so much guys" Kagome called as the two turned to leave.  
  
"Don't mention it" Kouga was the one to respond.  
  
With that, the two lovers strolled off in the moonlight, eagerly planning to take advantage of this smile of good fortune laid out before them.  
  
Author: Hey, I finally completed this, took me long enough didn't it. Lol, oh well, gotta try to update sooner next time. 


	19. Kanryu

Author: Heh heh, I'm a veeeeery bad author...Seriously, sorry about the delay. Ran into a bit of writer's block and decided to just get on with the story instead of adding random dialogue chapters.  
  
Chapter 19:  
  
"It really is nice out tonight"  
  
Kouga nearly breathed out the words, the relaxed mood of the night air was just too pleasant to be real. Cool winds under a starry sky and new moon comforted the wolf, burrowing into the clothes given to him and bringing comfortable goose bumps onto his skin.  
  
"I know Kouga, you've said that a few times already."  
  
Lilian suppressed a chuckle but not the smile on her face. She turned her gaze upwards, shutting her eyes and bathing her face in the light of the moon, blissfully unaware that she was being stared at. Meanwhile Kouga was busy trying to capture the sight in his memory, yet at the same time prepare to look away if she so much as twitched.  
  
This had been the 3rd night that the two had done the night shift for Kagome and Inuyasha, and to be honest it was nice. The peace and tranquility of the nights spent with only another person were rather comforting, even Lilian had to admit. Over the course of the shifts, she had begun to talk to the wolf about nothing in general, just making conversation. At first, it had been just to pass the time, but eventually it was simply because he was pleasant to talk to.  
  
She had been rethinking Kagome's words and was beginning to understand why Kagome said that this wolf could be a good friend, as a matter of fact, she was starting to feel bad about having tried to kill him before. Purposely, she pushed out the fact that he was her bounty, thoughts like that seemed strangely uncomfortable as of late.  
  
"But that doesn't mean that its not true does it?"  
  
She didn't have to look to see the glint of a smirk that was undoubtedly on Kouga's face.  
  
It was true, while Kouga didn't possess the gift of tongue about most common things, he had his moments whenever the right topic came about. He was a natural it seemed at popping out wise phrases every now and then, yet not really realizing it at all. That, and he was honest, crude sometimes, but honest. There was something about the way he spoke that shined childish naivety about some things, it was hard to imagine that this same youkai beside her had lead a tribe through some rather bloody battles. He spoke his mind it seemed, and that was something that she admired in him.  
  
"I guess not"  
  
She turned back to Kouga to see him staring blankly up at the stars, and she was positive there was a tinge of red on his cheeks, but she ignored it. She pulled out a shuriken from one of the deep folds of her black wardrobe, the assassin's outfit feeling more comfortable than the robe she stopped wearing once she could fight again. She twirled the weapon on a single finger with a flick of her wrist and watched it change from white to black under the beams of moonlight.  
  
Hearing the slight ringing, Kouga turned his attention back on the woman.  
  
"If you don't mind me asking...where are you from?"  
  
Lilian turned to the wolf, still playing with the shuriken without so much as a glance, a tale of practiced ease. She wasn't too surprised, eventually the two would begin talking about more than the stars in the sky.  
  
"There is a village about half a days journey from here at the base of a mountain. Its quiet and nice actually, very few people live there, but those that do appreciate the silence. That's the village I grew up in too, with my mother, father, and my little brother."  
  
She heaved a relaxing sigh, tilting her head back to enjoy serenity while thoughts of home drifted in her mind.  
  
"My family owns a dojo which my father has been training me to succeed when I finally gain full mastery of our family's ninjutsu style. The bounty hunting I do mostly for training because youkai generally make the best opponents."  
  
She turned back to Kouga who was looking back at her, his teal eyes were just screaming calm joy.  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"No reason, I just wanted to get to know you better. We may be here for a while so I thought it would be nice if we could talk about whatever was comfortable."  
  
Lilian made sound of agreement before a question came to her mind.  
  
"So then, tell me something about yourself. How did you become leader of your pack?"  
  
Kouga looked a bit surprised at the question, but it died down as a proud smile crossed his face, she was positive that his tail was probably wagging but she didn't bother to look.  
  
"Well I had to prove myself in front of everyone. My father was the pack leader before me, but to be honest I have quite a few brothers and sisters. I was the youngest child of four, and by far the runt."  
  
Lilian quirked her brow at the comment.  
  
"My brothers and my sister are all bigger than me, incredible warriors, some of the strongest around. I always looked up to them when I was younger I guess. We didn't get any special treatment for being the pups of the alpha male, and I'm kinda glad about that. We had to fight and hunt just like everyone else."  
  
It was Kouga's turn to heave a sigh.  
  
"Eventually my father died. It was sudden, during an attack made on our territory. He was slain by enemies that were disposed of quickly after that. My mother was so overrun with grief that she just left and became a stray."  
  
"Why would she do that? I thought wolf youkai didn't mate for love?"  
  
Lilian blurted out, not really thinking twice about the comment.  
  
Kouga sighed again before continuing.  
  
"We don't. My father and mother didn't love each other when they became mates, but after a while the mark just tends to bind the two souls together. Most youkai who have been a mates for a while can tell you that eventually you grow into the other person, and while it may not develop into love, you begin to need that person's company. At least...that's what my mom told me before I left."  
  
"Anyway, with my father gone, there was basically a battle royale between anyone who wanted to become the next pack leader, and I managed to win. I even took down my eldest brother when we were the last two standing. I became pack leader, and my siblings just kinda left to become strays too. I think they said something about becoming stronger, but that was years ago, I think they probably started smaller packs around somewhere."  
  
"That's interesting."  
  
Kouga made a sound of agreement in response.  
  
A cool breeze floated the past the two, picking up both Kouga's onyx strands and Lilian's Lavendar locks and pushing them swiftly to the side.  
  
Kouga took in a fresh breath of the air, sifting through the scents for anything remotely dangerous. Finding nothing once again, he settled for enjoying the scent of the forest, though slightly annoyed that Lilian was downwind and not upwind.  
  
"You know, I wonder where Kagome and Inuyasha are right now?"  
  
Lilian threw the question out without actually expecting to have it answered.  
  
"Probably still back at their hut mating, why?"  
  
Lilian's eyes twitched for moment at Kouga's bluntness, honesty was a good quality yes, but sometimes she wondered how such a great warrior could be so dense about what to say and what not to say. Even though did agree with what he said, she would never say it out loud, at least not being serious.  
  
"No, I mean, normally they come out for a little while to go walking together and then go back, but they haven't come out tonight."  
  
Kouga shut his eyes, and rose his nose to take a deep smell of the area.  
  
"That's odd..."  
  
Lilian looked a bit puzzled even though the wolf couldn't see.  
  
"I can smell Kagome...but I can't smell Inuyasha."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, it kinda smells like him, but at the same time it doesn't."  
  
"What do you mean 'it doesn't'?"  
  
"I can't put my finger on it exactly."  
  
"Should we do something about it?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I'm pretty sure they are more than capable of handling it, his youkai blood probably got the best of him and won't let her leave."  
  
Lilian looked on in disbelief...again.  
  
There was a smile on Kouga's face when he brought his attention back to the immediate surroundings, obviously amused by what he said.  
  
"What's got you smiling so much?"  
  
"Oh me? Nothing really."  
  
She shrugged it off as the wolf went to go sit down, placing himself on the steps to the shrine. She followed, using unconscious grace with her steps, so silent that an untrained ear would probably miss it. But even though Kouga could hear the steps, it seemed to him that she was walking on air.  
  
"...Beautiful..."  
  
Kouga meant for the words to be whispered in the quiet of his mind, but for a moment he forgot, and the word made its way to his lips before he could stop it.  
  
"Huh?" She passed him a confused gaze before sitting down beside him.  
  
"What did you say, I could've sworn I heard you say something."  
  
The stairs weren't very wide, causing the kunoichi to find herself very close to the dazed youkai before her. His defenses lowered to a dangerous level as her scent filled his nose, he let his mind dwell on it and let the scent carry away his worry. His eyes met hers as the last bit of the little common sense he acquired went out the window of his mind.  
  
"I said...your...beautiful."  
  
It was still a hushed whisper but she heard it clearly, not sure exactly if she had mistaken his words for other ones. She blinked a few times, reasoning in her mind how she could have mistaken his words for other ones. She silently cursed his honesty as she looked into his hazy eyes and saw one thing that unmistakably proved what she heard was what he said.  
  
She saw pure awe in his teal eyes. They were focused on her, she could feel it, she saw his breathing slow and his face relax. She met his eyes, not exactly sure what to say, thoughts flying through her head so fast she couldn't decide what to do. Part of the collected corner of her mind tried to reason why this was happening to her, why she couldn't focus. She was brought out of her mental dilemma when she felt a warmth in the crook of her neck.  
  
When she focused again, she was black hair in her face, tickling at her nose brushing against her lips. She felt his face buried in the crook of her neck, and heard a small noise as he breathed in her scent. She hadn't noticed him close the distance, but her cheeks began to redden as her heart rate sped up.  
  
"T-Thanks..." She muttered, not really sure what she should have said, or what she should be doing. Thoughts were just pouring out of her ears, slowly ginving her peace of mind until she came to a startling realization.  
  
This position was really comfortable.  
  
Without paying much attention to her actions, she rested her head against Kouga's, finding the feel of his hair quite enjoyable. She was remarkably surprised that it wasn't mangy and smelly like she would have imagined, but smelt like it had been cleaned rather recently. The thought, like so many others, evacuated soon after it registered as she went back to the calm moment. She felt Kouga's head shift under hers and she shifted her so that he could bring himself up to look her in the eyes.  
  
Confused ruby eyes met with relieved teal ones.  
  
Her heart rate was still racing, and she was positive that she was blushing even harder as their gazes met, but she couldn't look away, she didn't want to.  
  
"I-I'm not really good with words...so..."  
  
She was about to quirk her eyes further from confusion before he advanced, clumsily, leaning towards her even further. He softly pushed his lips against hers, holding his breath, not sure why he was doing it, but happy that he was.  
  
He silently prayed that this wouldn't ruin his hopes, Inuyasha wasn't here to tutor him about this, and he felt a bit alone in the issue. The girl's lips were tense against his, and he had a slight feeling that that was not a good thing.  
  
Lilian turned bright red when he did that, a single thought formed in her mind.  
  
'How did he learn to kiss?'  
  
It was dismissed like the others.  
  
His lips were a bit course and chapped, but they were warm. Very warm, and even though his clumsiness told her with bright lights that he had never done it before, she found it strangely calming that he was doing it now. When the initial surprise died down, she let her body and face relax.  
  
It seemed like eternity to Kouga before he felt the lips soften against his, he was overjoyed that it seemed that things were going better, but now he faced a new dilemma...what next?  
  
So the two sat there under the moonlight for a few seconds, Lilian not sure if she would part her lips if the youkai asked for entrance, Kouga just completely at a loss for what was supposed to happen next.  
  
Lilian's heart rate dropped back to normal and the blush eventually faded as rational thought finally got back in control.  
  
Her eyes went wide as the full nature of everything that was happening hit her like a brick.  
  
She pulled back and pushed the wolf away a bit, her breathing becoming a bit erratic. She turned and got up, running and not seeing the confused and hurt expression on Kouga's face.  
  
'What the hell was I doing back there?'  
  
It was repeated like a mantra as she ran through the streets aimlessly. Her lips still warm from the youkai's touch, just the thought brought a tinge of blush back to her face.  
  
She continued to run when she heard the desperate cry behind her.  
  
"L-Lilian...wait!"  
  
Without thinking, she drew a shuriken and lobbed it back at the wolf, the weapon only to distract the wolf while she ducked around a house. Outrunning was a definite no-no, maybe if she kept switching directions she could fool his sense of smell...she hoped.  
  
A phantom memory of his breathing against her neck caused her to lose focus of her surroundings, and it wasn't long before she ran headfirst into someone else.  
  
She looked up at the person in front of her, an elderly man who had surprisingly not stumbled back too far. A beam of moonlight fell over his face as recognition registered to Lilian.  
  
"...Dad?"  
  
"Oh! Lilian! It's a pleasure to see you here."  
  
His tone was bright and a bit on the loud side.  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
She made her way to her feet, still aware that Kouga would probably be here in a second, but trying to seem calm before her father.  
  
"Bandits pillaged the village and burned it down. We gathered what we had left and figured we would go to the nearest village."  
  
"We left a note for you when you got back sis."  
  
"Kenji?"  
  
"Yeah, mom's here too. She's inside."  
  
The teen boy with black hair pointed to the house that they were standing in front of.  
  
"Wait...Mom, you and dad are here?"  
  
Her face flushed...  
  
"Does that mean..."  
  
"Yes darling, I'm here too"  
  
She shivered visibly as cold arms wrapper around her from behind and pulled her close.  
  
"...hello Kan-ryu..."  
  
She barely managed to whisper.  
  
"Lilian!!!!!"  
  
Her heart stopped when she heard a familiar voice along with a skidding stop.  
  
The arms let go as she turned around to face the youkai who's eyes were wide in confusion.  
  
Kan-ryu snaked another arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.  
  
"Darling? Who is this?"  
  
Her voice was muffled as the situation fully dawned on her.  
  
"This is a friend I met while going after my last bounty..."  
  
Kouga's eyes narrowed at the sight of the thin, slender arm around the kunoichi. A flame erupted in his chest when the saw her so close, visions of murder and torture flooded his senses before he heard the man's voice, not quite shrilly or loud, yet surprisingly painful.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes, he helped me get here and helped me get treated after I came back from the mountain..."  
  
"Did you get the bounty?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Are you planning on going back after it?"  
  
Lilian looked up at the youkai, she could see his eyes looking dangerous at Kan-ryu, she knew why and felt really guilty.  
  
"No...I don't think so."  
  
"That's good."  
  
"Kan-ryu?"  
  
"Yes darling?"  
  
"This is Kouga..."  
  
"Kouga..."  
  
The wolf looked away from the human who seemed to be blissfully unaware of the hateful aura emanating from the wolf.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"This is Kan-ryu...my husband."  
  
Confusion quickly wiped away the anger on his face as he stared back at Lilian, eyes met again.  
  
Sorrowful ruby against the confused teal.  
  
"What...?"  
  
"M-my mate..."  
  
Author: Hmmmm....yeah. Got lazy so I didn't put in the character descriptions for the new OCs yet. I will get them in on the next chapter.  
  
So what did you think of my plot twist?  
  
I don't know if this would happen in real life, because honestly, I've never been kissed before and I'm not a girl so this was my best guess at how the scene would play out. Lemme know if I'm wrong.  
  
Chaoness 


	20. Down, But Not Out

Author: Heh heh, yes, Lilian has a husband...but the fic isn't over...O.o.  
  
Sorry about the late update, I got a PS2 and I bought .hack sign: Infection...man that game is addictive.  
  
20 chapters!!!!! So proud of myself.  
  
Chapter 20:  
  
Confusion turned to shock on Kouga's face, the expression was not hidden at all, however the shock was so strong that he couldn't fit the hurt that he felt. Lilian's eyes left his and went to the ground after breaking the news to the wolf, unsure of why she was feeling so uncomfortable.  
  
A bony hand stretched out to Kouga for a handshake followed by that irritating voice.  
  
"Well if you were the one to take care of my Lilian, then I must thank you."  
  
His voice dripped with something devious that Kouga couldn't put his finger on. His eyes lifted to skim over the man that had reached Lilian before him.  
  
...before him...  
  
Kouga knew that his stomach should be lurching at the thought of touching and comforting another's mate, one of the greatest kinds of dishonors to him...but it didn't make him feel sick. He still wanted her, and he hated himself for it.  
  
Donned in a baggy one piece outfit much like the villagers of the village, the color was some kind of red, but he couldn't make it out in the darkness. His face was as bony as his arm, deep dips where his cheeks met his nose, making the already large and ponted nose seem even bigger. Thin hair fell evenly around his head at ear's length. Small beady black pupils on white eyes that fell deeply into the face. He smelled as creepy as he looked, the thought that he had lost Lilian to him made his blood temperature rise.  
  
"Is there a problem sir?"  
  
The elderly man, dressed in a full Karate gi, the most likely burnt orange, but the night hid the truth of the color. His hair was white displaying his age, brought neatly back into a ponytail which fell to his neck. His eyes were black, his very presence just emanated peace. He seemed like a nice person, his scent, like his appearance gave the feeling of tranquility.  
  
Kouga managed to shut his jaw, but he could not pull the shocked look off his face. He reached out and grabbed the bony hand in his hand in the human ritual. It was cold, very cold.  
  
"N-no, its just that she never mentioned to me that she had a mate."  
  
The young boy turned to leave, dressed in what looked loosely like the assassin clothes that Lilian wore, except much smaller and with much less slots. It seemed rather bulky and when the kid moved, Kouga could hear the faint sounds of metal clanking within the folds of the clothing. Coupling that with the sluggish and dramatic steps the kid took, told Kouga that suit was weighted. He caught a glimpse of black eyes much like the elderly man's before he turned. Black hair that shined under the moon. He smelled a bit like sweat but other than that, there was a bright tinge to it.  
  
"Really, you didn't tell him Lilian darling?"  
  
Kouga pulled hand back, he could feel the shock subsiding, and showing the hurt and anger he felt in front of these people would be a bad idea. He turned his back to them, effectively hiding the new face that he was making. Summoning up his strength, he forced out some words, struggling to keep the sadness out of them.  
  
"I have guard duty, good bye Lilian."  
  
Without listening for a response, Kouga took off back towards the shrine.  
  
"Lilian, is he always that quiet?"  
  
Lilian pulled away from Kan-ryu and turned to her father, a fake grin on face.  
  
"Yeah, but that's a good thing sometimes. The mountains out there were best enjoyed in silence."  
  
"Oh, well, maybe we'll see him again. I get the feeling that he was a nice man."  
  
"Father, he was a youkai."  
  
"And I keep telling you, youkai aren't always evil. Maybe he'll be the one who shows you that you can have friends of other species."  
  
She forced a chuckle.  
  
"Whatever"  
  
"Well, I'm going inside to go rest, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow."  
  
"Okay, good night"  
  
Her father walked into the house, disappearing into the darkness. As soon as he was out of sight, Lilian immediately started to walk away from the house. She fought off a snarl as she heard footsteps behind her.  
  
"Akira's right, we need to go to bed, we have work to do." Devious humor in his voice as always when the others weren't around.  
  
"Just shut up Kan-ryu." Cold as usual when around the man, nearly spitting his name out of her mouth.  
  
"Oh, what's the matter darling?"  
  
"I told you never to call me that when fathers not around."  
  
She stopped and scowled at the man who looked and acted remarkably like a vulture.  
  
"Oh, but you seem to enjoy it so much whenever he's around." He whined a bit, knowing it pissed her off like nothing else, coupling the words with wrapping his arms around him.  
  
His reward was as always, two fingers pressed firmly under the base of his sternum, pressed inward and curling upwards. He winced and pulled away, a large, sick smile on his face in satisfaction.  
  
"Wife or not, do not touch me when my father is not around, do you understand that?"  
  
"How many times have you said that darling?"  
  
Lilian seethed but stayed silent, they weren't far enough away from her family's new house for her to start yelling.  
  
"Well, we'll be staying with your parents until I find a house for us, so let's go."  
  
The change in his voice to stern signaled that he was done playing with her.  
  
"I'll be there eventually."  
  
Her voice changed as well, using the deepest part of her register and expressing no emotion.  
  
Kanryu turned and walked, making it to the house in a while and disappearing into the darkness within leaving Lilian to only gaze at the stars. Memories of the moment between her and Kouga came back to the front of her mind as his face made its way to the stars in her mind's eye.  
  
Her voice was hardly stronger than a whisper.  
  
"I'm sorry Kouga..."  
  
===============================================================  
  
Shock, pain, anger, frustration, and confusion had already passed, leaving Kouga in the next stage: depression. His eyes had lost their sparkle as he looked at the ground in front of him, he was so out of it that he hardly felt the shikon's pull. His whole body stayed still except for his deep breaths.  
  
His rational thought had finally returned to him at this stage, but it didn't help him. His thoughts refused to budge from the memory of either Lilian's body against his on the night they agreed to do guard duty or the feel of her lips against his.  
  
'She has a mate, I shouldn't be thinking about her like this. Its bad enough that I did as much as I have already, there's no excuse for touching a mated woman. There never was, and there never will be...even if I didn't know.'  
  
He shifted unconsciously as guilt washed over him.  
  
'Why the hell didn't she tell me? She could have let me know that she had a mate, even one as creepy as him. At least that way I wouldn't have disgraced myself by laying hands on another's mate...by touching that soft skin...caressing that beautiful hair...'  
  
His eyes shifted as his tangent continued in his mind, as much as he knew he should break the train of thoughts, he couldn't bring himself to stop thinking about her, mated or not. That's what made him the angriest.  
  
He didn't even notice the black haired individual that closed the distance between them.  
  
"Hey what's wrong?"  
  
Jerked out of his train of thoughts he looked up to see...what reminded him of Inuyasha. His eyes went wide as he looked over what could be none other than Inuyasha by facial features and wardrobe...but his hair, ears, and eyes...they looked almost...  
  
"Yeah, I turn human on the nights of the new moon."  
  
Kouga blinked a few times before returning his gaze to the ground, ignoring the smell of sex coming off his friend. He missed the look that was sent off in the distance to none other than Kagome.  
  
She ushered him on with a pleading look that he hardly could make out...curse human sight...and a small gesture that meant to keep badgering the wolf until he figured out what was wrong.  
  
He sighed in defeat before sitting down, maybe starting up a conversation would be an easier start.  
  
"Hey, where's Lilian?"  
  
He didn't miss Kouga's flinch.  
  
"Why are you two out here?"  
  
Inuyasha was a bit taken aback by the subject change.  
  
"Oh, we came out for a stroll and I saw you, Kagome and I thought you could use someone to talk to." In actuality, Kagome pleaded with Inuyasha to take a stroll even though it meant Kouga would see his human form, and upon seeing said wolf sitting alone, "asked" Inuyasha to go talk to him, promising him that they would go back inside afterwards.  
  
A sigh and a sound of acknowledgement from the wolf before he went back to staring at the ground.  
  
"So what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing"  
  
"Kouga..."  
  
"What Inuyasha?"  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"There is nothing wrong..."  
  
He sighed again, obviously giving away that something was wrong.  
  
"Where's Lilian?"  
  
It was a moment before Kouga spoke, giving ample time for the depression stage to end and for the short "broken" stage to start and give away any information asked.  
  
"I-I kissed her..."  
  
Inuyasha brightened up, even though his eyes weren't gold tonight, they still shined as if they were.  
  
"That's good, I guess you didn't need my help afterall."  
  
"I kissed her Inuyasha..."  
  
His eyes turned to the human friend, the pain on his face effectively killed the shine on Inuyasha's.  
  
"I kissed a mated woman..."  
  
Inuyasha's eyes went wide with shock trying desperately to process what was just said. A single word passed his lips, though it was dangerously close to a shout.  
  
"What?"  
  
"S-she has a husband Inuyasha...she never told me...but she has one...she has a mate..."  
  
Concern replaced shock.  
  
"Wait a second, she has a husband?"  
  
"Yes, I kissed her and then she ran off. I followed her and we ran into her husband and her family...they just moved into the village..."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
Inuyasha sat down on the ground next Kouga, making himself comfortable, not sure if he wanted to move because...he wasn't sure exactly what was going on. Originally, the whole thing between Kouga and this other woman really didn't matter to him other than an excuse to have a sparring partner, but to be honest, he was starting to hope the two would end up together. Maybe it was because some of Kagome's enthusiasm bled into him, but suddenly he felt as if a huge weight was being put on his shoulders.  
  
Comforting was never something that Inuyasha liked to do...but for once, he decided he would try without being either forced to, or in love with the person he was comforting.  
  
There was a deep sigh before Inuyasha opened his mouth.  
  
"So what, are you going to leave now?"  
  
"No...I told you that I would stay so that you and Kagome could have time together...I plan to do that."  
  
"Ok, thank you."  
  
Kouga made another sound of acknowledgement.  
  
"So your gonna stay here but give up on Lilian then?"  
  
"I have to...she's mated, there is no honor in desiring one who is bound to another."  
  
"But does that mean that you want to?"  
  
Kouga turned over to his companion, his eyes etched in a portrait of confusion. Inuyasha didn't meet his eyes, instead, focusing on the building before the both of them.  
  
"Yes, I do want to give her up..."  
  
"Really?"  
  
Kouga turned back to the ground, angry as the truth ran over both his lips and his mind.  
  
"No...no I don't want to. And that's the disgusting thing...I need to forget about her, I do...I know that...but I also know that I can't...that I don't want to..."  
  
"Then maybe you shouldn't..."  
  
Kouga turned to Inuyasha again, confused by his words for the second time.  
  
"That's wrong, I could never touch a mated woman, do you think that low of me? I never once touched Kagome in an affectionate way after you two became mates."  
  
"But you also didn't want to..."  
  
"And how do you know that?"  
  
"Because you would have, and I would have killed you."  
  
"Fine then...I didn't want to...when I found out you were mates, I stopped caring about her in what little way I did..."  
  
"I know, and that's why I know that you feel something more for this woman..."  
  
"But it doesn't matter how I feel about her, she has a mate..."  
  
"No, she has a husband."  
  
"Same thing isn't it?"  
  
"No, humans don't mark each other when get together, so they aren't bound to that person by anything other than their word."  
  
"But humans mate for love, she must love him if she chose to settle down with him."  
  
"Maybe, but I know first hand...not every love is true love."  
  
"But she's already with him...I can't just step in there...I don't even know how she feels about me."  
  
"You said you kissed her right?"  
  
"Well...yeah."  
  
"Did she let you kiss her?"  
  
"I-I guess so..."  
  
"Then its safe to say that there is something there, its up to you whether you let her go or not, but it sounds to me like you love her."  
  
Kouga's eyes went wide as the information hit him...maybe...maybe he did love her...but how could he tell, he didn't know what love was.  
  
"But...she already has a husband...he got to her first..."  
  
"Kouga..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Between the two of us, who claimed Kagome first?"  
  
There was a short silence.  
  
"...I did..."  
  
"Who loved her more?"  
  
Another silence.  
  
"...You did..."  
  
"And who is her mate right now?"  
  
Eyes widened yet again as the logic hit him at once. Inuyasha didn't expect an answer, he knew that Kouga understood from the sudden silence. He got up from his seat and began walking back towards the place where Kagome was watching out of hearing distance.  
  
"I-Inuyasha!!!" Kouga shouted at the retreating human.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Thank you...I couldn't ask for a better friend..."  
  
Inuyasha smirked.  
  
"Whatever, just remember that you owe me a match when this whole thing is said and done okay?"  
  
"You got it."  
  
With that, Inuyasha continued, preparing the re-telling in his mind for his mate. Kouga merely stayed sitting, awaiting the sunrise so that he could go talk to Lilian...he wasn't sure what he was going to do...but he would try something.  
  
A bit of hope found its way into his eyes.  
  
He may have been down, but he was certainly not out yet. 


	21. The Challenge

Author: O.o...ummmm well, thank you "me" for your...kind review...um...heh heh. I'm writing this chapter in order to save my eyes, even though I really do want to write this one anyway. Glad you guys...like Kan-ryu so far, I really tried hard to make him an ass...heh heh, he gets even better...just you wait and see.  
  
Chapter 21:  
  
Kouga muttered a few curses to himself as he started back towards the village from a small patch of forest near the outskirts. He had retreated there as soon as Inuyasha came to relieve him, hoping to gather some ideas of how to approach Lilian. In the process of trying (and failing) to do so, he lost a few precious hours when his body demanded sleep and drug him kicking and screaming into blissful unconsciousness.   
  
As he reached the edge of the forest area, he made a slight note of the sun's position, he judged that he had been sleeping for maybe 5 or 6 hours. Muttering another curse, he headed in the direction of Lilian's scent, still able to recognize it amongst the many other humans in the village.  
  
It wasn't long before he made his way back into the streets, purposefully taking his time, he still hadn't come up with a plan and was getting slightly more nervous by the second. Avoiding the pedestrians in the streets he walked, his speed ever decreasing as the fidgeting of his hands continued.  
  
It took him longer than he expected to reach the place where he had stood the night before. He had circled the house using the streets around it to keep fair distance for a while before he finally forced himself to head down the street. He could see the house, not in the best condition, yet certainly better than a lot of the others. It seemed a bit cozy to be housing as many as he could smell inside.  
  
Sifting through the scents he recognized last night, and one that he assumed was probably Lilian's mother, Kouga was able to make out the fact that Lilian was still at home. His heart rose a bit when he realized how close she was, then sunk again when he recognized the now stomach wrenching odor of the one that he actually would have to call a rival.   
  
He breathed a heavy sigh and was about to go to the door when it opened and Lilian's brother stepped out into the street. The boy stretched for a moment, a smile on his face as he took the warming air into his lungs. It was a moment of silence before Kenji turned to see Kouga just standing in the road, a bit of a smirk crossed his face.  
  
"Hey!" He called out. "Kouga right?"  
  
Kouga grunted lightly in response to the question.  
  
"Hey, come with me to the training area my dad scouted out earlier. I want to talk to you."  
  
Kouga was, to say the least, a bit confused by the boy's sudden comfort being around him. He quelled it quickly when he heard the boy's nest words.  
  
"It's about my sister."  
  
Kouga's eyes considerably brightened.  
  
"Oh, okay then. Let's go see this training area."  
  
A mischievous grin crossed Kenji's face as he turned to lead down the street, opposite to the way Kouga came. Kouga noted that the boy was still dragging in what looked to be the same outfit as before except it might have been a different shade.  
  
They had barely turned the first corner when Kenji spoke up.  
  
"You like my sister don't you?"  
  
Kouga did a slight double take as he registered what the boy proposed, then paused, and ran the information over again before settling in a slightly confused mood.  
  
"Yeah...thought so..."  
  
The childish grin on his face effectively masked the fact that he was around 15 years old or so.  
  
"W-what? H-how did you...?"  
  
Kouga sputtered as he found his voice, which was about the same time all his blood found his face.  
  
"Either from the way you looked like your world collapsed when you found out she was married to that asshole, or from the fact that you looked like you would kill him in a heartbeat. Take your pick."  
  
Kouga stared in disbelief for a moment before he noticed the grin on the young boy's face. In a moment, he collected himself, fighting off the blush as best he could before he spoke.  
  
"And...what if I do? What does that matter to you?"  
  
"I figured I may be able to help you out a bit with winning her over."  
  
Kouga nearly did another double take, still continuing on behind the lad who looked as if this was the most casual conversation he ever had.  
  
"Wait a second...what?"  
  
Kouga was to say the least confused at the sudden change of events, no longer bothered with the fact that he was talking to a complete stranger.  
  
"Simply put...Kan-ryu is an ass, Lilian hates him, I hate him...as a matter of fact...I don't think I've ever met anyone who liked him..."  
  
His voice trailed off in thought before he was brought back to reality by a very confused and slightly hopeful wolf youkai.  
  
"Wait a second...I thought humans mated for love, if she hates him, why is she mated to him?"  
  
Kouga was calming down as the words flowed out of his mind through his mouth, but he wasn't quite sure he had figured everything out.  
  
"That's got to be the cheesiest thing I've heard in a while, you know that?"  
  
He laughed a bit to himself as he mused further in his own thoughts.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Never mind. Anyway, do you want the help or not?"  
  
"Well yeah, sure."  
  
"You seem like there's something bothering you about me helping you."  
  
Kouga thought for a minute about whether he wanted to truly voice his still wavering feelings about stepping in the middle of the marriage. It was possible that he may love Lilian...and even though she hated the man she was with, he had thought for so long that doing such a thing was wrong...it wasn't easy ignoring countless years of tradition.  
  
"Kouga?"  
  
A look from the boy who had just stopped made a comforting feeling rush through Kouga. It was odd, he could sense an innate camaraderie between him and the boy, maybe it was the cool atmosphere the human seemed to carry with him, maybe it was his carefree nature that was reminiscent of his pack at home. Whatever it was, Kouga found that he was pretty certain that he could trust the boy with the truth at the very least, after all, it might've ended up being the key to winning Lilian's heart in the end.  
  
"Sorry about that, I just still can't imagine why she is with him, that's all. Normally I'm opposed to even thinking about another person's mate...but, well I dunno."  
  
Kenji quirked a smile before turning to continue on.  
  
"Maybe because you don't know how they got together in the first place."  
  
Kenji's voice lost a bit of the humor in it as the sentence continued on, effectively pricking at the youkai's interest.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
The boy heaved a sigh and placed both his hands behind his head, clasping each elbow with the opposite head, relaxing as they walked.  
  
"My family has a style of Ninjutsu that we use that was passed down by generations. We have taught it to those not in our family in the past, but they hardly ever passed it on, so it stays mostly within the family. The style we use is a branch of the original Ninjutsus used by the original Shinobi of this land many years ago. The original styles were much more powerful and much more deadly, even though it was never truly documented because all those who saw it were killed before they could tell of it. The Shinobi from before were some of the most feared warriors, lending their swords to whoever would hire them, caring not about the targets they were paid to dispose of. As time passed, the Shinobi tended to die off a bit, no one really knows why, but they just became scarcer and scarcer. Eventually, people lost contact with them all together and the Shinobi just faded out of existence. They styles they used are now referred to as Greater Ninjutsus."  
  
He paused for a second without looking back.  
  
"Some time after that, I guess a few ex-shinobi decided to sell what they knew in order to support themselves, teaching their skills to whoever would pay for them. In turn, their students did the same, as did their students and so on. Eventually the Ninjutsu styles formed into many different branches, none as powerful as the Greater Ninjutsus, but some of them were still powerful nonetheless. These styles are what you see today, they became known as Lesser Ninjutsus."  
  
He turned to see if Kouga was still paying attention, he smirked a bit to see that the wolf was actually focusing on what was being said. The buildings began to become fewer and further in between before the black haired youth continued with his tale.  
  
"Our style is thought to be a very powerful form among the Lesser Ninjutsus when truly mastered. My sister still has a long way to go, but my father says that both she and I have shown incredible growth and potential and may surpass him before he dies. She is the heir to the family dojo, and it will be her responsibility to run it when my father passes away."  
  
Kouga continued to listen, carefully taking in all the information, yet not sure if all of it was important.  
  
"My father kept telling my sister that running the dojo was an impossible task for one person and he hoped to see her get married before the end of his life. The problem was that Lilian was showing no interest in anyone because she was so focused on her training that she didn't seem to have time for it. After a long time of playful arguments and long discussions, they reached a compromise: If anyone could beat her in one-on-one combat, then she would marry them. My sister agreed only so that my father wouldn't have to worry about the succession of the dojo."  
  
Kouga's curiosity began to grow as he felt the answers to his questions coming steadily closer.  
  
"At first, it was just the village boys who knew they had no chance, but thought that it was worth the try. After that came those who had studied a bit and wanted to test themselves. Soon, it became the more experienced warriors that happened to be crossing through the village and thought they could seize an opportunity. Eventually, people from other Lesser Ninjutsu styles started to come, hoping to fuse together the two styles in hopes of creating a new style that may have even been as strong as a Greater Ninjutsu style."  
  
He paused for a moment, when his voice continued, it was much lower, much quieter, and much angrier.  
  
"Kan-ryu was one of the ninja from the other styles. Misoko Kan-ryu is his full name, and he appeared in the village suddenly one day. He challenged Lilian over her hand in marriage like everyone else, except he requested that the match be held in a few days in oppose to as soon as the challenge was issued, like everyone else had. He spent the next few days boasting about how he would win the fight and take my sisters hand in marriage...and when the day for the fight came around, he actually beat her."  
  
Fresh shock hit Kouga at the thought of Kan-ryu being a warrior as bony as he was, especially one to best Lilian. He suppressed a growl as the boy started to continue.  
  
"It was weird though, when she fought him, she seemed...hesitant to do so. I'm not sure why...but I don't think she gave it her all. Since then, she's been pretending to like him in front of the family, trying hard to follow through with her word. She's been living in a cage that she was forced into, and she can't do anything but suffer through it. My father doesn't know she hates Kan-ryu, and she makes a constant effort to keep him from finding out...but she hates that man so much that its annoying to watch her try to deal with him."  
  
He sighed before turning to Kouga who was recapping the tale in his mind again.  
  
"That's why I want to help you, anyone is better than that asshole she's stuck with now."  
  
Kouga stopped along with Kenji without noticing it, he turned his attention to the youth to see that mischievous grin on his face again.  
  
"Anyway, we're here."  
  
Kouga looked around him for the first time to see them in an open expanse of grass and soft dirt, a bit of forest a short walk away, and the village no more than 3 minutes journey at a leisurely pace. There was a fresh gust, disturbing the still air, the slight winds caressing the two for a moment before it died down.  
  
"This is a nice place..."  
  
"Eh...my dad picked it out."  
  
Kenji's voice had a playfully bored tinge to it.  
  
"K-Kouga? W-what are you doing here?"  
  
Kouga turned to see none other than Lilian walking from the direction of the forestry. He mentally kicked himself for not picking up on her scent, even though he was a bit distracted. He shut his eyes and smiled, missing the guilty look on Lilian's face.  
  
"Kenji brought me here so that we could just talk."  
  
He opened his eyes in time to see the boy rapidly increasing the distance between them, setting off for a place to train and leave the two alone. He turned to Lilian again, this time noticing the heavy look of her eyes and her deep even breathing. He took a step forward without paying much attention, shocked a bit when she stepped back.  
  
He hung his head a bit as the shame he held off before began to attack him again.  
  
"Lilian..."  
  
He muttered, she hardly heard him even though she didn't react.  
  
A short breeze cut the silence, then returned the area to the lack of volume it had previously had.  
  
"Kouga...I-I'm sorry...I should have told you..."  
  
Neither could bring themselves to look into each other's eyes. The air was disturbingly heavy, and suddenly Kouga wished that Kenji or Inuyasha, or anyone for that matter could be here to lighten up the tension of the area.  
  
"...It wouldn't have changed anything..."  
  
It was a while before Kouga found the words to say, but saying them didn't help ease the situation as the section of the clearing became quiet once again, interrupted lightly ever so often by the grunting sounds of Kenji's practice.  
  
"...What do you mean...?"  
  
"I mean...it still wouldn't change the way...the way..."  
  
Kouga abandoned that train of speech, seeing it was going no where.  
  
"Any other woman that I found was mated could never once me even think for a moment about being close to them...but...but..."  
  
"...Kouga...I have a husband though...I-I'm..."  
  
She tried to hide the pause in her voice as she forced herself to lie, blessing silently the fact that she was not looking into those sometimes childish eyes. Even without looking, she found herself able to picture his ears drooping a bit with his eyes unfocused, his tail hanging limply by his side.  
  
"...I'm happy Kouga..."  
  
Kouga shuddered visibly before bringing his gaze up, she wouldn't look at him, her eyes still focused on the ground.  
  
"...I'm sorry that I made you feel otherwise...but really...I'm happy with..."  
  
She paused a bit, but interrupted before she could continue.  
  
"Lilian"  
  
His voice was stern as his eyes narrowed a bit, his voice deepened a bit causing the kunoichi to unconsciously look up to him, meeting his solid gaze.  
  
"Do you love him?"  
  
Both were a bit shocked by the words, Kouga was still wary of using that one word, Lilian began to start looking like a caged animal little by little. Her eyes widened a bit at the sudden nature of the question, her jaw quivered a bit under his stare.  
  
She couldn't speak.  
  
"Answer me Lilian...Do you love him?"  
  
Slowly, she regained herself, it took a few moments before she mustered enough strength to stare back at him almost defiantly, gritting her teeth as she prepared to lie again.  
  
"Kenji already told me about the deal you made with your father. So I'll ask you truthfully Lilian...do you love him?"  
  
Inside, Kouga was dying over and over again, only to be resurrected and killed again, on the outside, he held his breath, and worked hard to maintain his firm stance.  
  
"...Kouga...You and I...we could never..."  
  
"I'm not asking about us Lilian, I'm not asking for us, I'm not asking for even myself. Lilian, I'm asking this for _you_. Do you really love him...yes or no?"  
  
She shut her eyes tightly and clenched her fists at her sides as his last request for information. This was too complicated, none of it made sense to her, sure she hated Kan-ryu, sure she would kill him herself if not for her father...but why was it so hard for her to lie to the youkai in front of her about that same man?  
  
Why was it so hard to lie about this to the man who had first looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing on earth? To be completely stricken with awe at just her presence. To tell her that she was beautiful, and mean it out of the warm, family sense. To kiss her without her fighting back.  
  
She couldn't understand why...but she just couldn't lie to him...not about that.  
  
"No...no I don't love him. But I have to stay with him, I am bound by my word Kouga."  
  
"If you were offered a way out...would you take it?"  
  
'A way out?' Lilian thought to herself. 'A way out of my word? What could he be talking about? I'm trapped with that man, there is nothing I can do about it...there is nothing he can do either...is there?'  
  
"If such a way existed...I-I would gladly take it."  
  
"If I could...Lilian...will you let me provide that way out?"  
  
"Lilian Darling!!! There you are! I was wondering where you took off too so early this morning."  
  
Kouga saw Lilian shudder when they both heard Kan-ryu coming from the downwind village. He suppressed a growl at the sight and found her eyes once more. Resolute determination on his face, causing a bit of confusion to well up in hers. Without a word he turned towards the approaching man.  
  
"Misoko Kan-ryu...I challenge you to a one-on-one combat competition. If I win, then you will let Lilian free of the bind you have on her and let her walk free as if she never met you."  
  
Kan-ryu looked a bit surprised at first, a faint grin lit up his sickly features a bit as he passed a glance at Lilian, who was in utter shock, before turning back to the wolf.  
  
"And if I win?"  
  
"I shall serve you personally all the days of your life and the life of your first born child."  
  
He heard Lilian gasp behind him as he made the announcement, he also noticed the stop in Kenji's practice too. Kan-ryu smiled devilishly at the turn of events, holding back a chuckle.  
  
"And why do you want to do this?"  
  
"Because, there are certain things that can be decided by fight between two people...land, power, money...but something like love or marriage should not be left up to the fists of two people..."  
  
Lilian felt her breath stop for a moment as Kouga's most recent sagacious saying passed over her.  
  
Kan-ryu did something akin to a cackle.  
  
"Wouldn't we be deciding such a thing if we were to fight?"  
  
"Maybe so, but I will do this only if she agrees to allow me to."  
  
His fist clenched at his sides.  
  
_...If I could...Lilian...would you let me provide that way out?...  
_  
'Kouga...' her voice was silent as her mind rang with a single thought. 'Why would you do something like this for me?'  
  
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear Kan-ryu goad her on saying something about always wanted a youkai for a servant.  
  
"I-I don't have a problem with that match..."  
  
Kan-ryu laughed out loud, nearly causing Kouga to wince. He thought that Lilian had agreed simply because he had "persuaded" her to...Lilian knew it was otherwise...Kouga hoped for the best.  
  
"Very well then Kouga...We will have the match in three days."  
  
Kan-ryu cackled wildly as he returned to the village, already fanaticizing about the joys of having a youkai slave. It was a painfully long time before his voice disappeared from their ears, leaving the two alone.  
  
"W-why are you doing this for me?"  
  
Lilian was the one to break the silence.  
  
"I would willingly risk anything for a member of my pack Lilian, how much more would I risk for one I held closer?"  
  
He turned to her, grinning innocently again. A slight blush crept up her face as the words registered in her mind.  
  
"I guess I'll leave you hear to your training. I'm pretty sure you know where to find me tonight, hope to see you then at the latest."  
  
He was about to go when he heard something faint and inaudible pass her lips.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Thank you Kouga...that you so much."  
  
Her voice was still hushed, but this time he heard it clearly enough. He sent another grin back and then took off towards the village, no real destination in mind, just running now because it felt nice. He ran off, enjoying the feeling of his reddening cheeks.  
  
The dust from where he stood hit the ground and settled what seemed like eons after the youkai left, the maiden merely stood there reflecting on his last words when she felt a familiar voice at her side.  
  
"So, you think he can set you free from that asshole finally?"  
  
She was about to answer when something clicked in her mind, a slight smile crossed her face.  
  
"You know, father would kill you if he heard you talking like that."  
  
She playfully punched his shoulder, causing an exaggerated whimper from the younger sibling.  
  
"Yeah, but what dad doesn't know, can't hurt him."  
  
"You really bad, you know that?"  
  
"I learned everything I know from you so, it must be your fault."  
  
"If I've taught you so much, then I guess you won't mind if skip out on that shuriken lesson I promised you for when I get back."  
  
"Hey, you promised!"  
  
"Fine then, let's go train kid."  
  
"I told you to stop calling me that."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
She passed him a mocking look to show that she "didn't understand."  
  
His expression turned sarcastic as he began to grumble something incoherent.  
  
Silently both siblings rejoiced at the fact that nothing between them had changed, and both hoped that the addition of a certain wolf could change their environment for the better.  
  
Author: [pants] [looks at watch] OH NO!!!!!! I-I-It's already 2 am!?!??!!? My poor eyes are doomed T.T it's not fair... 


	22. Snake in the Grass

Author: Sorry about the long stall, I had a nasty time trying to cross back over from the underworld after certain reviewers decided to carry out certain death threats...[glares through computer screen to those who did it] I know about you...[points finger].

To those of you who followed my brother's (who anonymously signed "me"...the first death threat)...following a trend is not always a good thing, I may not be able to beat Satan in the next round of Spades to get out of there ok? Good.

Anyway, yeah, I'm a SENIOR (wooties) and school is started and my teachers are not wasting time in giving LOTS of homework...so it may be a little while before the next update...then again it may not. I'm so sorry...I wish I could just get a damn laptop and be done with it...but those things cost like friggin 1200$ so that's a no-no.

Uhhhhhh...I think that's it.

Chapter 22:

The night was chillier than it had been the past two shifts, the cold air constantly moved by a very faint breeze that made a certain wolf reluctantly wishing for a slightly thicker outfit. He bit back a shiver before tilting his head back up to look to the stars once again, understanding now why Inuyasha had taken the time to destroy even the smallest of youkai around.

He was bored...

Actually, bored was an understatement.

Lilian hadn't spent the shifts with him, partially out of his request and partially because they didn't want her father to get too suspicious about the nature of Lilian's marriage. In all honesty, they weren't sure exactly how he had been reacting to the whole "challenge" thing, he kept to himself a bit more and generally avoided the topic. At least, that's what Lilian fed to Kouga whenever they were together.

They hadn't spent too much time together, though she also didn't spend the time with Kan-ryu, because he was busy making "arrangements" even though the time and place had been set the day the challenge had been made. His suspicions of the man her eagerly overpowered by thoughts and scenarios involving the woman he sought to take as a mate.

He shut his eyes a bit and exhaled the chilled air out of his goose-bumped chest.

A memory of her scent passed through his mind, effectively calming him even more than he had been so far. The thought of her face made the edges of his lips curve into a slight, comfortable smile. The anticipation for the next day was starting to well up in him again, his foot began shaking noiselessly up and down.

He let out a small, long growl in deepest part of his chest. The sound came out more like a baritone hum, but is vibrated his chest and effectively gave him temporary relief from the cold of the night air. He held the growl as long as possible before his body betrayed him for need of air, he ceased the growl and replaced it for a sharp inhale. His body chilled immediately again as the scents of the area filled his being.

One scent took precedence, gathering all his attention and blocking out the other, more common scents.

His slight smirk became a full smile, he opened his eyes and rose to his feet, eagerly awaiting the visitor he expected. He turned his gaze to the sky, locating her approaching presence through scent. He allowed his body to be bathed in the eerily relaxing moonlight as she finally turned the last corner, taking in the sight before her.

Her heart skipped a beat at the image she saw. The wolf youkai she had only recently decided that she didn't hate, the one who had managed to become a friend, the one who had dared to kiss her, the one who would be fighting for her freedom the next day, was standing tall in the bright light of the high moon and many stars. The light breeze still moved his fur, and more visibly his tail and the pony-tailed deep black hair that a few days ago, she had held her face in. It was the first time she had seen him like this since he managed to melt her thoughts with his touch alone, and she had to admit to herself that he looked very handsome.

The splendor induced shock wore off as soon as it came, allowing her free movement of her body once again. In careful, graceful steps, she nearly glided across the ground, swiftness that was hardly heard, even by the youkai who had focused solely on her sound and smell.

It was only a moment before she closed the distance enough, stopping only a few steps to the side of the seemingly entranced creature before her, his hair still obeying the dominant desires of the refreshing breeze.

"Hello Kouga."

Her voice was quiet, not disturbing the odd tranquility of the moment. She found herself still full of joy that the time they had spent had not become awkward and tense. Kouga hadn't held it against her for too long, not telling him about Kann-ryu had become old news, quickly replaced by the challenge made two days prior.

He took in one last breath as he turned his focus and vision back upon the lavender haired woman and warrior who had effectively captured his being.

"Hello Lilian."

He spoke before his eyes fully fell upon her, revealing a very different wardrobe than before.

"You look..."

He couldn't find the right word to say. The only word that came to mind seemed ill appropriate for the present circumstances, but still, it was the only word that seemed to sum it all up.

"...beautiful..."

The last word was said in an exhalation, coming off a bit nervously as Kouga seriously pondered on whether the comment should have been taken back. After all, she did still _technically_ have a "mate"...but then again...he would make sure that didn't last much longer. He studied her face for the reaction, realizing that he could not make a final choice on whether it was right or wrong.

She looked down over the dim pink, silk kimono, tied ceremoniously tightly, fitting to the curvatures of her form like a second skin. The green lily pad designs dotted all the way from the base of the dress end to the shoulders, and out to the sleeves. Each lily pad bordered with a thin thread of white to help them seem to jump off the silk. A lush green sash was tied across her waist, the color falling somewhere between forest green and lime green, though it favored closer to lime.

She spun around, a bit awkwardly in place. Kouga took note of the limited mobility of the outfit, a bit curious to why a warrior as powerful as her would wear such an outfit that allowed no agility and very few space to conceal weapons. Though, he had to admit, it was a bit breath taking on her.

As her back reached him completely, he took full notice of her hair, the lavender locks curled neatly into a bun that was not quite tight, but not quite loose. A few of the ends of her hair left out of the bun on purpose, hiding the point at which the back of her head ended, and the bun began. A small green pin in the shape of a lily flower and pad was tucked neatly into the strands.

She turned fully around, pulling her gaze up from the outfit she wore, and sending it to the slightly awestruck male before her. She hid a smirk and stifled a laugh, yet did not manage to hold back the flush of blood to her face.

"I saw this in the stuff that my family brought with them when they came here, its mine, but this is the first time I've ever worn it."

Kouga stepped forward without hesitation, his eyes locked on hers, walking as if almost in a daze. He reached out with one hand and rested it on her shoulder, softer than normal with the silk layer.

Both were silent as he ran his hand down her arm, feeling the fabric under his fingers. The touch sent a chill down Lilian's spine, she shut her eyes and took in a deep breath of the refreshing breeze.

"It looks nice on you."

She slowly brought her eyes open again to look him over once more.

"Thank you..."

His hand moved up again until it reached the side of her face, resting softly against the cheek. He felt her head shift a bit, leaning into the warm hand pressed against her. He leaned in slowly, catching the breath in his lungs as he moved forward, closer to the pool of the enchanting scent before him.

He brought his head to rest right next to hers, resting his temple against hers, he finally let out the breath. The warm air caressed her cheek and neck, causing her body to relax a bit more.

"Tomorrow..."

His voice slipped into the darkness so quietly that even Lilian hardly heard it.

"Tomorrow, I will set you free..."

She suppressed her shivers as the breaths passed over her ear.

"I know you will..."

With no more words needed, the two slowly parted. Lilian was blushing faintly, yet she held no look of embarrassment of shame. Kouga's expression was a bit distant, sorrow from being so close to his goal yet not being able to truly embrace it clouded his eyes. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he registered that this woman was still "claimed" for now, yet instead of depressing him further, it merely renewed his desire to win her freedom, and hopefully win her heart.

"Will you be there to cheer me on tomorrow?"

A smile inched its way onto Lilian's lips.

"Of course I will."

The contagious smile made its way to Kouga too, catching Lilian's gaze just before she turned and began to awkwardly walk off.

"I believe that you can beat him Kouga, in fact, I know you can."

The smile widened as she rounded the nearest corner and began heading back in the direction of her home.

It wasn't long before she was out of range to even smell, the change of winds deciding to carry her scent away, yet alerting him to another, less familiar presence approaching. The trademark aura of peace and tranquility accompanied the scent, allowing the little tension form anticipation of the coming battle to flow right out of him.

He only had to wait a moment before the elderly man silently came around a different corner. Turning slowly to meet Lilian's father, Kouga suppressed the urge to visibly marvel at the man's stealth, trusting only that he smelt the man to know that he was approaching. He fixed a smile on his face as his mind began to wonder, he had hardly ever spoken a word to this man, and he wasn't exactly sure he wanted to start now.

Taking the initiative in the wolf's pause, the senior ninja began to speak, his tone firm enough to demand respect, yet soft enough to display years of understanding and wisdom.

"Nice night out tonight isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is..."

As much as Kouga wanted to dwell on the past moment spent with the woman who had completely captivated him, he refused to allow himself to dishonor this man by not paying attention.

"So, Kouga...that's your name right?"

Kouga merely nodded his head to show his acknowledgement and agreement.

"You met my daughter while she was out on her last job?"

"Yeah, why do you want to know?"

His tone was curious, simply that, so the man took the question as no sign of disrespect.

"I just wanted to know how you met, and get an idea of how close you were."

A pleasant smile creased his lips before continuing.

"My daughter doesn't have a lot of friends you know..."

"She doesn't?"

"No, she spends most of her time either training or going out on the jobs like the one you met her on."

"Really...how come?"

Folding his arms behind his back, the wiser man took in a sharp inhale, and then exhaled it before speaking again.

"I think it has something to do with her husband."

Kouga tried to hide the fact that his expression changed to one of anger at the name by ducking his head to cast shadows over his face, he knew not whether the man before him caught it or not.

"What about him?"

It took everything in the "young" leader to not growl.

"Well, as you may or may not know, he won her hand in a duel. It seems to me that she loves him and all, but I think she's still a bit bitter about the fact that he beat her. That's why she is always training and taking youkai bounties, at least, that's what I think."

"Hn..."

"But that leads me to the reason I'm here Kouga..."

The wolf managed to wipe the dirty expression off his face to look up at the man, his tone taking on a more serious sound to it without a moment's notice.

"Why exactly are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

It wasn't a matter of curiosity, Kouga already knew what the man was asking, it was simply a matter seeing eye to eye for now. Kouga wasn't sure if Lilian wanted to confront her father about this whole arrangement, since it had been his idea that got her married in the first place. Deciding against it, he began fabricating an excuse, hoping that the elder man was much more gullible than it seemed.

"The challenge to Kan-ryu that you made, why are you going to do it?"

"Lilian told me about her situation with Kan-ryu and the matches that were held over her acceptance of the men's proposals. She told me that..."

His fist scrunched up behind his back.

"...as much as she loved him...she didn't like being bound to him by her word. The feeling of knowing that she was trapped because of an agreement..."

The words just began to flow on their own as Kouga's consciousness stopped analyzing every syllable as they came out.

"...That's why I'm doing this, to free her of that contract. After that, I'm sure that she will be happy..."

As the tale ended, Kouga began to pick at the truths of the reasoning as he waited for the reply.

"Sounds like you two are pretty close."

His tone went back to the more laid-back, relaxed voicing.

"You could say that."

A bit of a smile crossed Kouga's face, shutting his eyes, he missed the beginning of the man's retreat.

"Hm..."

Kouga's eyes opened, a bit wide from shock as he realized just how far Lilian's father had managed to get without making a sound.

Then, just like his daughter, he too disappeared around a corner and out of the upwind breeze.

Kouga found himself alone once again in the comfort of the night air and sounds, the scents being carried steadily on the constant changing winds. His smirk still showing, he brought his arms to his chest and huddled himself together in order to conserve warmth.

It was only a moment longer before he recognized something was wrong, his muscles tensed up by their own will and his vision started to blur as he put his focus to sight and sound. He couldn't smell or hear anything, but he still knew something was definitely out of place, and he reacted by cracking the knuckles on each hand simultaneously by clenching them slowly and tightly.

All at once he felt a cold hand fall upon his shoulder from behind, sending him into instant hunter mode. Without even thinking about it, he turned quickly, drawing his hand back in the process. What he saw nearly made him not want to pull back the attack.

"Calm down Kouga."

His voice was cocky, and still just as irritating as it had always been. Like always, Kouga suppressed the urge to both kill him and shiver, the thought ran idly by of whether he would have killed or injured this man even _if_ he never met Lilian, it was certainly a possibility.

Kouga growled in return, stepping back and dropping his fist and putting necessary distance between the two of them.

"What's the matter, a little edgy about tomorrow's battle?"

He had a sickening smile on his face that made Kouga just want to pound him right then and there. His feelings manifested in only a twitch of the bridge of his nose and the clenching of his hands.

"What do you want?"

"What? Can't a guy come by and wish luck to his opponent before a match?"

"What do you want?"

His tone was a bit firmer, he couldn't help the glare that was finding an outlet in his eyes. He kept his breathing controlled, but he was starting to slouch, and the man's annoying tone of voice and choice of speech was not helping at all.

"Fine then, let's talk business."

It was so sudden that Kouga felt like he had missed something when the tone of Kan-ryu's voice became suddenly clearer and a bit deeper. It managed to help the wolf relax a bit, almost as if he was talking to a decent human being.

"I'm listening..."

"Tomorrow's fight, your going to throw it."

Kouga's right eye twitched once in surprise as he processed the request.

"Your going to throw the match and become my servant, just like you swore you would."

He found his voice again, it came out a bit more frustrated and confused than he had meant at first, though he didn't really mind.

"What do you mean? I'm not going to throw the match."

"Oh yes you are, not only are you going to throw it, but your going to make it look like you tried your hardest and I wound up on top. We're going to make a show of it tomorrow, and everyone is going to be watching it."

"What the hell makes you think that I would do something like that?"

"Because if you don't, I'll kill Lilian."

This time it was his left eye that twitched in surprise, followed by his right in rage. A growl was his response.

"I will have assassins at the fight tomorrow hiding from a short distance. They are ordered to kill her in the crowd if I give a signal. So like I said, throw the match tomorrow...that is unless you want to see your precious Lilian killed in an unfortunate accident..."

A dark smirk crossed his face, Kouga seriously fought back and forth with himself about whether to just beat the man to death simply because he deserved it. A part of his mind was sanctioned away, reserved for making sure whether or not this was truly happening and making sense of the whole ordeal.

At the sight of blood dripping from the wolf's palms from clenching his fists so tightly, Kan-ryu hurriedly added...

"They are already watching her now, if I'm not back in 15 minutes to tell them to stand down, they will kill her tonight."

If possible, the tension in Kouga's body began to rise again as the extra news hit him, the helplessness of the situation threatening to put him in a state of panic, he stopped focusing on the area around him. Through shaking lips, he let out a breathless question.

"Why...she's your own..."

"Why? Well why not? Life is all about making connections and taking opportunities. My marriage to Lilian was for no other reason that the doors it opened for me, that's how I've gotten as far as I have now. If you pass up life's chances to get ahead, then you'll never get anywhere. With this, not only do I get a personal servant and bodyguard that's a powerful youkai, but I also get to show everyone how I will beat the great Kouga of the Youkai Wolves, the one bounty that even the famed huntress Lilian couldn't bring in."

Kouga lifted his head back up to stare at the man in disbelief.

"Yes, I know who you are, and I have reason to believe that you may be attracted to my wife, and in all honesty, I don't care. She, just like you, is just a means for me to get ahead. So, tomorrow, be a good wolf and throw the match, oh, and don't tell Lilian, okay?"

His voice had slipped back to the annoying version that normally made Kouga's blood curdle, but he hadn't noticed. The shock of Kan-ryu's coldness and outlook not feasible to the normally jovial youkai. He didn't care when the ninja turned his back and walked back off into the night, he didn't care that his shrill laughter could be heard even after he disappeared around a corner, he didn't care that he had let down whatever technique masked his scent and the unpleasant aroma seemed to just hang in the suddenly still air. He didn't care about anything at that moment except what exactly he was going to the following day.

Without noticing at all, he was sitting down, mentally strained from his constant thoughts. He pushed back the pressing panic in exchange for the ability to rationally think.

He sat alone in the middle of the road, not even the wind bothering to caress him and keep him company. He spent most of the night in the back of his mind, trying desperately to come up with a solution, but finding none. The time was passed quietly, with the exception of a few long deep howls to help ease the stress until the orange tinted rays of dawn began to peak over the horizon.

The first few rays hit his eyes directly, instantly grabbing his attention. He looked around to realize the time, then swallowed hard once as it dawned upon him that he had not come up with a solution. He cursed his inability to plan in a situation like this before getting to his feet.

One thing he knew for certain, regardless of all that Kan-ryu had said and done, Kouga had come too far to give up now, and he'd certainly be damned first if he gave up now so easily.

With a bit of irritation lining the edge of his thoughts, Kouga slowly climbed to his feet, ignoring the light drag of his body from fatigue before heading off toward the training sight where the challenge had begun, and was soon to end.

Author: Wow, that took forever, normally I do all my writing in one sitting, but I never had time so I had to do this one at three different times. I didn't really revise this, so if it doesn't make sense, lemme know and I'll answer any questions about it in the next chapter.

I don't know when the next update will be, but hopefully soon. The fic is almost at the end now and I'm kinda excited to be so close. Well, until I update again.

Chaoness


	23. Dueling With No Hope

Author: Just letting you guys know, I'm gonna pinch a bit on the fight scene because I'm starting to think that detailed fight scenes are to be watched, not read. So, this isn't gonna be absurdly long...like the one between Kouga and Inuyasha ::shudder::

Chapter 23:

Lilian waited restlessly in the clearing, a light breeze carried the faint scents out of the forest behind her and mixed with the cool dew in the air. She suppressed a shiver as the dull winds swept across the exposed skin on her neck and face. Her eyes were turned toward the village, patiently awaiting the other, more preferred warrior.

She closed her eyes to block out the tension she was feeling at the situation. Her father, mother, brother, and Kan-ryu were all gathered, expecting the last member to arrive before the competition could begin. Every one of them remained silent, as none could find the words to say.

She exhaled a warm breath and clutched the single concealed dagger she had brought with her, hidden under the light blue sash of her kimono. The rest was a single color of ocean blue, seemingly flawless and inconspicuous except for the nearly invisible slit running up the right side all the way up to her hip. The alteration was designed to remain closed unless she applied certain pressure to rip the few threads that held it together, allowing the necessary freedom for combat if the need arose. It was one of her favorites among her limited formal attire though she hardly wore it.

She turned her head only slightly, looking first at Kan-ryu who was as confident as he had been for the past few days. The arrogant smirk he wore on such occasions was ever present on his face and Lilian could do little but wish a swift beating from the one male that had managed to catch her attention.

Unconsciously, she began to measure him up against the wolf youkai that she was calmly waiting for. There was a definite difference in build, Kouga was sleek but firm while Kan-ryu remained oddly thin despite his abilities. In the past, Kan-ryu had proven to be intolerable in conversation and confrontation, while Kouga on the other hand was completely opposite to that. She could see herself spending time comfortably with the youkai in so many different scenarios, while spending time with Kan-ryu was still something she did only for the mandatory purpose of letting her father rest easy about her having a husband.

The more she thought of the two of them, the more she realized they were completely different. Appearance, attitude, aura, everything about them, to her, signified complete and polar opposites. Evil and good, darkness and light, night and day.

Her thoughts lead her to the brink of a conclusion that in all the time that she had spent with Kouga or alone in the past few days, she had never bothered to consider.

She absolutely hated Kan-ryu, that much she knew...

But if Kouga was the positive to Kan-ryu's negatives...then...

"Its about time you showed up!"

Her mental ramblings were put on immediate hold by the aggravating voice of none other than her husband.

"Oh, and I see you brought friends too."

Lilian finally turned her focus to what she found to be a small group consisting of Kouga, Kagome, and Inuyasha. While she noticed the other two were there, it was really only Kouga whom she gave the bulk of her attention, and once she gained his, she waved and smiled.

From her perception, he seemed a bit taken aback by the action and returned to her a partially nervous smile. It effectively masked the down expression on his face moments prior that she couldn't discern.

"Yeah, we don't have a lot of time so if you could hurry up and get your ass beat, it would help us all out."

Inuyasha's exclamation was made with a large cocky grin which would have made anyone around swear that it was _he_ who was to fight. Kagome, at his side, blushed a bit at the embarrassment before making a quick bow and short apology to the whole of Lilian's relatives.

Of all the people there, save Lilian, Inuyasha had the most confidence in his rival's ability to win this. It had only been days since their last fight, and he had to admit that there was a whole new level of respect for the wolf that he had not had years prior. He knew Kouga was strong, and there was no reason to think that the toothpick with the blade-like nose before him could provide a decent challenge.

Kouga managed to choke out a chuckle, still trying to figure out what exactly to do in his current situation. Kan-ryu himself posed little threat to him, he could tell that much by the desperation in his plans, but he was not willing to test the limits of the man's evils with so great a prize on the line.

He broke away from Lilian's bright gaze to the less preferred dark ones of his soon to be opponent. Clad in a combination of light-weight dark armor and a complete black body suit loose enough to be comfortable, but not to catch too much wind, Kan-ryu was the only one dressed in anything remotely close to battle attire. The rest wore an assortment of either casual or lightly formal arrangements though none really stood out to him aside from the oceanic combinations of Lilian's.

Kan-ryu rose slowly and slickly to his feet, the metal of the armor bracers and shin guards clanking noisily as his hands reached for a small sickle and chain the same dark color as his clothing. The chain rattled uncontrollably in the process, effectively shattering all of Kouga's sudden respect for the man at obvious stealthy capabilities in his dress. The thought of attacking out of the shadows with such a weapon seeming unrealistic, though he quickly quenched the thoughts as Kan-ryu rose to full stature.

A piercing glare at once went from Kouga to Kan-ryu, summing up all the anger he felt towards the man at the moment, knowing full well that there was plenty more. The return was a smug, confident, and bored eye contact, accompanied with a smirk that only fueled Kouga's wrath.

Without a word between them spoken, the two made steps forward, closing the large distance between the two parties. Using this time, Lilian's family made sure to retreat a bit further into the forestry so that they were slightly behind the tree line. Inuyasha hoisted Kagome up bridal style and in a few leaps, joined the family, stepping around the self imposed battle-field and landing next to Lilian, who was growing more anxious by the second.

It was when they were only a few meters apart that Kan-ryu and Kouga stopped before each other. Kouga's face was stern and tight, focused on the present problem at hand, his mind in an ever disturbed fit of turmoil. Kan-ryu merely stayed lax and disturbingly cheerful at the events.

Kan-ryu maintained eye contact with Kouga for a moment before turning to Lilian's father, still sitting amongst the family. He moved the chain into the hand holding the sickle, closing the fist around the weapon and letting the bulk of it dangle loudly by his legs. With his free hand, he covered the fisted one before him and bowed lightly.

Kouga took the hint and followed suit, rising once Kan-ryu did, and turning to face his opponent in mimicry of what he assumed to be a formal gesture.

Lilian turned to see her father, who was wearing a perfect face of indifference at the display. She turned back to the two and a light breeze blew threw the clearing.

Kouga growled almost inaudibly, the wind was blowing towards the forest. The clearing wasn't close enough to the town for an effective assassination from the buildings without being in plain sight, plus, he could smell no one else around from there. If Kan-ryu had been telling the truth, then his minions would be in the forest, but with the wind blowing the way it was, he could not be sure.

Kan-ryu sunk into a loose fighting stance, and Kouga fell to his own more defensive and sunken pose. Kouga tensely closed his hands, effectively cracking all his hands at once as Kan-ryu moved the scythe into his right hand.

The breeze blew continuously for a few moments before stopping suddenly and giving Kan-ryu the signal to start. With a devious smile on his face, he stepped forward, signaling the official begin of their bout.

Kouga's eyes darkened in half concentration as he forced himself to pay as much attention to his current dilemma as possible. Kan-ryu's smirk was absolutely infuriating, taunting him with every flashed tooth that managed to fall into sight, and when the scythe flew from his opponent's hand, he forced himself to ignore the smile he wanted so desperately to wipe off Kan-ryu's face long enough to step back.

The blade's arc stopped no more than an inch away from his chest's new position, swung with a speed that he actually seemed to lose sight of it for a moment at the apex of it's travel. He didn't make a sound as the blade was pulled back to a still advancing Kan-ryu.

It was a simple gesture to catch the retracting blade and place it back in his strong hand, thus Kan-ryu managed to re-arm himself in time to ready the weapon for close combat.

Even Kouga had to admit that the man fought with a certain finesse and grace, save for the annoying smirk, he seemed completely engrossed in his form. Punches, kicks, and scythe attacks all melded together in an odd yet smooth set of motions. It was simply age and experience that Kouga believed gave him a solid advantage in this fight, but he was still cornered with the whole "assassins" ordeal.

He stole a glance at Lilian before dodging a swift kick aimed for some part of his upper body that he didn't bother to guess. He could see solid confusion in her face as he dodged the flying scythe off instinct alone. He only looked on for a moment as his 6th sense brought his attention to a punch using all of Kan-ryu's body weight that he was forced to block from his position.

It was then that he noticed something, the annoying smirk on Kan-ryu's face was slowly disappearing, while a few short moments ago, it was on the edge of a full smile that Kouga would be able to see a mile away, it was not more like a straight face with the corners turned upward ever so slightly. Accompanying the change in lips, were the fact that his eyes were a bit narrower, and if the wolf hadn't known any better, he could have sworn that Kan-ryu was concentrating.

He pondered it with only a portion of his focus as he continued to dodge the flurry of blows that was becoming more and more swift and difficult to avoid with each passing strike.

It was only when the confident look had been fully erased, replaced with one of total focus and a bit of agitation, that Kouga had the chance to glance back at Lilian, breaking his concentration during the time that Kan-ryu was landing from an impressive air combo involving five strikes and ending with a toss of the scythe, all the while moon-saulting over Kouga's head. He nearly was hit when the chain was flung from Kan-ryu's off hand at what he saw: Lilian simply wasn't there.

* * *

Lilian slowed her breathing as she trekked nearly soundlessly through the forest, ignoring the sounds of Kan-ryu's struggle against Kouga in the background. Her steps were light, making sure not to disturb the rocks and leaves beneath her feet, afraid to blow her cover, it was bad enough that she had no choice to move directly toward her target, whatever it might be. 

It had been merely a sound, maybe, she wasn't sure. Something had caught her attention from deep into the forest trees from not too far away and she wasn't sure what. She _sensed_ it more than heard, or so she presumed, the faint presence of at least one individual, attempting to mask their presence by use of high level stealth. She would have missed it if it wasn't for a single misstep or mistake in calculation, maybe a breath taken in too quickly, maybe a piece of cloth not folded tightly enough that caught a faint breeze.

She wasn't sure exactly, all she knew was that she was soundlessly and silently moving through the trees, bathed in the broken, early light of the morning, still with her weapon concealed and her kimono un-torn. Being un-seen wasn't her agenda, being unsuspected was.

She continued on aimlessly, slightly more relaxed than she had been at the match. She knew fully that there was no reason that Kouga should be pressed as hard as he was. She had seen him fight, and even fought him herself, that alone told her that he was better than he was performing. No counters, no attacks, just dodges and blocks that seemed a bit too easily done to be struggling.

It helped her subconscious when she heard, or rather, felt whatever it was in the forest. She hoped that there was some trick Kan-ryu had up his sleeve, because in all honesty, she knew that he must be cheating, or else Kouga would have ended the match more quickly, or at least put up a better fight. She could tell when he talked about it, when he proposed it, he got so serious, and even a bit angry about it before. She was positive that he wouldn't take this too lightly...she wasn't sure why.

She allowed a silent sigh as she continued, slowly but surely.

Her thoughts drifted smoothly back to the night she let him kiss her, the tangent brought an unruly blush to her face. In the warmth of her own mix of embarrassment and light-headedness, she came to realize that she still hadn't fully decided to herself if she would have kissed him back.

Her eyes shut and her feet continued on with practiced ease as her thoughts moved in a direction they had never moved before.

She remembered the way his body had felt against hers, the odd warmth that was too comforting to be real, the odd sense of safety that he provided. His chest had rumbled in a way that she knew she could go to sleep laying or even standing against it, the low pitch and steady rhythm that sent a chill and a bizarre warmth through her at once.

She wasn't sure if he had ever stoked her cheek before at this point, but she could feel it now, his warm hand grazing across her cheek, brushing a single lavender lock away from her face. She could feel it gently cupping her cheek once the strand was tucked behind her ear and leading her gaze towards his own, the odd balance of power and gentleness that held all at once a wild animal, bold leader, and tranquil soul. A soft stifling of his breath before a slight pressure, guiding her face towards his. The sound of her own breathing stopping, time itself stopping, a tingling rushing through her body until...

The sharp sound of leaves being rustled violently brought Lilian out of her stupor.

"Now what do we have here?"

It took only a moment for Lilian to gain full awareness of the situation, both her glossy-eyed expression as well as the deep blush covering the lower half of her face like a veil were immediately dispelled at the severity of the situation. She hardened her gaze, staring forward at the one who she was pretty sure she had noticed back in the clearing. Her body was kept perfectly still, not willing to go on the offensive until she was positive that she needed to, though the ninjutsu style apparel of deep red with dust-brown, light armor gave her a pretty good idea that she was going to have to fight.

It also gave her a good idea of why Kouga wasn't fighting back.

"Why don't you run alnog and go back to enjoy the fight little lady?"

Another one stepped from behind a tree, followed by a third. They all looked like clones from the shoulder down as far as apparel went, though she dismissed the details of their facial features, positive that they didn't matter.

"What is your purpose out here?"

Her voice was calm and collected as she forced her right hand to stay away from the concealed blade and her legs to stay within the tight hold of the kimono lest the hidden seam tear.

"Listen girl, why don't you just do what we say and go back now."

The first was the one to issue the request, though it sounded more like a threat by the smile on his face and the deceitful tone of his voice.

"Yeah, or we may have to hurt you a bit without any orders."

It was the third man who decided to add his input, deciding finally that it was time to let his voice be heard. The others twitched a bit realizing that he had divulged too much information, but decided to go along anyway.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as a scowl crossed her face and she bowed her head slightly. Her stance widened as far as the dress would allow and her right hand rose steadily to her her sash.

"You think you _can_ hurt me?"

All three of them were caught aback by both the change in atmosphere as well as her aura, which was rising to dangerous levels by way of her anger. It was a swift move that, at once, tore the lower half of the kimono on her side up to just above her thigh, and her single dagger to her hand, sheath left under the blue cloth of the sash.

"Then come on then..."

* * *

Time had been lost to him a while ago. Caught up in the chain of emotions, starting with confusion and working it's way to anger, he knew that he could do nothing but watch and fester as the events continued to build and build. But, as with all emotional bombs, he could only contain it so long before... 

"Kouga! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Kagome panicked for a moment before blushing and picking herself off the ground where she had landed after being rudely thrown off of Inuyasha's lap in the midst of his fury. She grabbed at the sleeve of his cloak in an attempt to calm him, ar at least remind him of her presence.

The hanyou continued to rant on, completely missing the light tug on his side, trying to get the attention of the wolf that he now proudly called his rival.

Kagome's eye twitched as she felt _everyone's_ gaze excluding the two combatants on Inuyasha, and consequently, her as well. She quickly got to her feet, eye now twitching violently as it hadn't in years, pushing herself into her mate's line of sight.

All at once, Inuyasha found himself face to face with something he hadn't seen in a long time, and at the very moment, felt as though he was not equipped to fully handle the situation. Kagome stood before him, one eye twitching, the other glaring, her hands balled into fists at her sides, the pose and slightly intimidating aura made up the last of what Inuyasha had in the past recognized as _beyond _fuming.

A nervous smile crossed his face as he moved back a single step, leaning on the retreating foot to gain a bit of distance between himself and Kagome, all the while racking his mind for the solution he used to use...and coming up completely empty.

"Oh!...K-Kagome...heh heh, I uh...well...uh..."

She only continued to fume, effectively gaining more attention from the non-combatants but no longer caring. She thought her words out carefully as she tried to make sure she didn't ruin her reputation as the kind miko that everyone loved by letting one of her old personality demons out. After a moment of tactful thinking, she prepared to give her lover a piece of her mind.

As she began to open her mouth, the wind shifted with a strong gust erupting from the forest, immediately filling Kagome's nose with a few of the more potent scents she adored from the area. The change distracted her long enough to stall her speech but only for a second, when her full attention was back on Inuyasha, she saw his face focused and a bit confused.

Before she could utter an inquiry, he placed himself between the forest and herself, crouching a bit to brace for anything.

"I smell blood…"

She was taken aback and instantly fell to guard behind him, clearing her mind in case she needed to use her powers in a moments notice.

"…It's faint, but it's there. Human, but I don't know who's."

His glance shifted towards the company of Lilian's family, who had long since ignored the two of them, before he continued, still speaking for only her to hear.

"I can smell Lilian out there…"

"…and Kouga doesn't need to be distracted anymore…"

She finished the thought for him, though he wasn't surprised.

"I'll go check it out okay?"

"Alright…"

Neither one faced each other, though if either had been asked, they could have described the determined looks on each other's faces to the finest of details. After what seemed like ages since they had truly been in battle, they still fell into the ease practiced long ago without trouble.

"Inuyasha…"

She knew she really didn't have to say it, but she did it anyway.

"…be careful."

"Always."

With the single word, he leapt forward a single bound, into the forest to find the source of the problem, though before he touched ground again to leap for the second time, he noticed an approaching figure.

Pushing his feet down to the ground in mid lunge, he forced himself to an early stop, kicking a bit of dust and pollen into the air. When all was settled, he merely waited for Lilian to close the distance, her scent strong above the scent of blood around her. He felt Kagome's relief when she too saw and recognized the kunoichi, who walked quietly and slowly, the sleeves of her kimono seemingly joined together, masking her hands that were no doubt lightly holding onto each other. A few locks of hair were fallen stray from the rest of her mold and she seemed a bit winded, though that seemed the extent of any injuries.

He was about to ask her what happened, why she smelled like blood, why she looked so focused, and why the skirt of her kimono now sported a perfectly straight seem up to her thigh, though as she approached in silence, he felt the need slip away, and as she passed, he merely turned and followed.

It was only a short distance to the edge of the clearing, and the two exited the forestry in the contagious silence, until they parted ways when the line of foliage ceased.

Inuyasha sat down, bringing a slightly confused Kagome down to his lap in silence, nuzzling against her back and forcing the scent of blood out of his recent memory by drowning it in hers.

Lilian moved to sit silently amongst her family, who, after acknowledging her presence, turned back to watch the fight, not willing to ask of the details of her recess at the time.

She turned her face calmly back towards the battle where she managed to meet Kouga's eyes. A little bit of a smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she reached for the blade that was tucked neatly within her sash once again.

* * *

Kouga was overjoyed that Lilian had returned from the forest unscathed, since it managed to quell the worrying in the pit of his stomach since she had left, and only escalated when the fresh breeze brought the scent of blood. The sickening feeling nearly drove him to abandon the duel and go get her himself, though a small portion of his mind told him repeatedly that e could trust her to be fine. It had taken most of his will power, plus Kan-ryu's relentless and increasing efficient assault, to keep himself from leaving the battle grounds. But now, he knew she was safe, and it helped him feel a little bit better, though he still had no means of winning the fight.

He dodged a short flurry of blows before jumping back to add some distance between him and Kan-ryu before he looked back at her at ended up meeting her eyes, which had an odd sharpness within them. He got a bit curious when he saw, though barely, her lips slowly arch into a smile. Her hand slipped underneath her ocean's hue sash and retrieved one of the simple daggers she normally fought with, sheath and blade alike.

With a slight shift in her wrist, she unsheathed a little bit of the blade, just enough for the wolf to catch a glimpse of dark red near the base of the blade before she re-sheathed it. She nodded her head slowly and tucked it away again.

Kouga merely blinked a few times as he tried to register what exactly had happened. The slight sound of air shifting and a chain rattling met his ear, though he paid little mind.

_'Wait a second…she just got up and left…'_

Kan-ryu arched back, preparing to throw the chain with all his might.

_'…a little bit later, I smell blood from the forest…'_

The sickle flew from his hand and cut through the air, singing softly.

_'…After a minute or so, she comes back, unscathed but winded…'_

The blade approached closer and Kan-ryu's eyes began to shine with hope at the prospect of finally landing an effective blow on his opponent.

_'…carrying…a…bloody knife…'_

His face switched to sudden focus, instinct flowing through his mind without a moment's hesitation. His hand shot up quickly, even disappearing from sight for a brief moment, until it stopped, clutching firmly to the warm hilt of the scythe stopped instantly in its path, only an inch from his face.

Kan-ryu's jaw dropped in horror, Kouga merely turned his head up towards the one who had the audacity to try and cheat him. His eyes and face remained dull, anger at the situation and joy that it had been resolved balancing out.

As if in slow motion, a smirk crept up his lips.

"You lose Kan-ryu."

Author: Yeah…I'm done with this chapter now. I don't _feel_ like putting anymore on there because I think that the style is getting dull and this was a decent stopping point. Sorry about taking so long to update though, being a senior is really time consuming, I have had so little time to do anything.

Other than that though, I think there will only be about 2 more chapters (possibly 3) of this, but hopefully they won't take so long.

I planned to resolve the "fight" between Kouga and Kan-ryu in no more than like 3-4 paragraphs at the beginning of the next chapter, or I can have Kouga play with him a little bit. If you wanna see that, lemme know, otherwise, I'm gonna get on with the more important stuff, like the post fight talking and potential post-fight romance-ness…because I know this fic is predictable.

Anyway, until next time.

Chaoness.


End file.
